Feb 1 2007
From The Space Library
NASA announced that it had signed Commercial Space Transportation Capabilities Agreements with PlanetSpace, of Chicago and Transformational Space Corporation in Reston, Virginia, to facilitate the commercialization of low Earth orbit. According to these nonreimbursable Space Act agreements, NASA would provide no funding to either company. Instead, the agreements established milestones and objective criteria that the companies would use to measure progress. The agreements stipulated that NASA share information with the two companies, to help them understand NASA’s projected requirements for space station crew, transportation launch vehicles, and spacecraft, as well as NASA’s human-rating criteria, which indicates how safe a spacecraft, launch vehicle, or airplane is for transporting people. Each company would develop and demonstrate vehicles, systems, and operations required to transport crews and cargo to and from low Earth orbit. Scott J. Horowitz, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems, explained that stimulating the growth of commercial space enterprise would enable NASA to focus on long-range exploration of the Moon and Mars.
NASA, “Commercial Space Transportation Capabilities Agreements Signed,” news release 07-20, 1 February 2007, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_0720_COTS_agreements.html (accessed 13 January 2010); PlanetSpace, “NASA Signs Agreement with PlanetSpace for Development of Commercial Space Transportation Capabilities,” news release, 1 February 2007, http://www.PlanetSpace.org/pdf/PressRelease020107.pdf (accessed 13 January 2010).
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