AS&T to Develop a Commercial Cargo Transportation Service for the International Space Station
Andrews Space & Technology (AS&T) today
announced that it has been awarded a $2.9 million contract by NASA. NASA
has selected AS&T to develop an integrated system solution for delivering
supplies to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Space Launch
Initiative (SLI).
The twelve-month study will focus on developing an effective commercial
re-supply service to transport up to 35,000 lb of food, equipment, and
experiments per year to the International Space Station. AS&T will evaluate
innovative technologies including recoverable, reusable and expendable
systems as well as ballistic and winged re-entry designs. The project builds
on previous innovations submitted by AS&T to NASA.
“The contract win from NASA is yet another validation of AS&T’s philosophy.
It’s not the size of a company that matters, but rather the ability to
innovate and rapidly bring new ideas to market. This particular program has
the ability to significantly increase the scientific and commercial
utilization of the International Space Station,” said Jason Andrews, Andrews
Space & Technology co-founder and President.
Supporting AS&T on the project are leading aerospace firms including: Alenia
Spazio of Turin, Italy will study pressurized cargo module accommodation and
design; Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Integrated Systems sector
will perform structural feasibility assessments; and SPACEHAB, Inc. (NASDAQ:
SPAB) will focus on ground and space operations required to process and
transfer cargo.
Andrews continues, “It’s extremely exciting to be chosen to develop a
commercially viable transportation systems to the International Space
Station. The strong team we’ve built puts us in prime contention to perform
detailed design, manufacture, and operation of the new system in the coming
years.”
This is the third contract AS&T has been awarded under the Space Launch
Initiative in the past 14 months. In May 2001, the Company was awarded
approximately $3 million to assess the feasibility of its Alchemist(tm) Air
Collection and Enrichment System, a 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle
propulsion technology. AS&T also won a $1.8 million contract from Northrop
Grumman Integrated Systems in January 2002 to support 2nd Generation
Reusable Launch Vehicle architecture design studies.
About the Company
Founded in 1999 by Marian Joh and Jason Andrews, Andrews Space & Technology
is a privately held company offering engineering services and business
analysis for the aerospace industry. AS&T’s core technical competencies
include spacecraft design, systems engineering, and new product development
for near-term and future space and technology applications. AS&T also
specializes in aerospace industry market research and business analysis.
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Andrews Space & Technology also has
offices in El Segundo, California. To learn more, please visit:
www.andrews-space.com http://www.andrews-space.com or visit
www.SPACEandTECH.com, a leading provider of space industry news.