In an era of tight budgets and lofty goals for space exploration, low-cost innovation is critical, and Jefferson County-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems may have to adapt, says a public- policy specialist who has studied NASA’s organizational structure.
Lockheed earlier this year won a major NASA contract to develop Orion, the new crew exploration vehicle that will take astronauts back to the moon and beyond.
But Howard McCurdy, a professor and chairman of the Department of Public Administration and Public Policy at American University in Washington, D.C., said he doesn’t think NASA’s current model is “financially feasible” to make multiple trips to the moon.
Observers such as McCurdy have expressed concern about the high cost of National Aeronautics and Space Administration projects and the space agency’s aversion to risk, and have encouraged entrepreneurs to take a stab at advancing space technology.
He challenged an audience of cadets at an Air Force Academy Military History Symposium to “come up with an Air Force model to bring us back to the moon.”
Lockheed, which beat out a Northrop Grumman-Boeing team for the Orion CEV contract, has done “more innovative work on low-cost technologies,” McCurdy said.
He pointed to Lockheed’s innovation in its work on a space vehicle called X-33, also known as VentureStar, which was not completed after funding was cut.
“There were so many great things that we applied from our development of the VentureStar program,” said Lockheed spokeswoman Joan Underwood. “It really did help reduce risk and add to efficiencies, not only in operations but cost.”
For the CEV, Lockheed is “really going to have to innovate” and is well-positioned to do so, McCurdy said.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
