NASA has selected Healtheon Inc. of New Orleans to provide a high pressure industrial water line under the Multiple Award Construction Contract at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss.

The firm-fixed price task order has a total value of $29.8 million and a performance period of 530 days. Work is scheduled to begin in July.

The water line provides cooling water and acoustic suppression to Stennis’ B Test Complex, which will be used to test the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System in 2016.

NASA is developing the SLS heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration. The SLS is targeted for a test launch with no crew aboard in 2017.

The work under this task order includes the demolition of all piping systems, including its valves and valve vaults. The contractor also will build a 96-inch diameter high pressure industrial water line from Stennis’ High Pressure Industrial Water Plant to the test complex, which spans over a mile.

This work is being done to ensure system longevity in support of all test programs using the complex.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov