NASA has modified its contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. in Colorado for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, which will be the successor to the space shuttle.
The move increases the value of the contract to $4.3 billion and extends it through 2013. Previously, the contract was worth $3.9 billion and lasted through 2011.
The updated contract adds two years to the design phase, adds two test flights of the Orion launch abort system and removes a pressurized cargo carrier from the initial design phase.
Another change will allow the use of surplus raw materials for Orion, such as materials from space shuttle fuel tanks.
The contract modification will have no impact on jobs, said Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Joan Underwood.
Skip Hatfield, Orion project manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a written statement the contract update “will synchronize our spending plan with the rest of the Constellation program.”
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-954-1488 or at kyamanouchi@denverpost.com .
