United Launch Alliance’s experience with its hulking Atlas V rocket will be used by NASA to draft the space agency’s requirements for launch vehicles that carry humans, it was announced today.
The unfunded agreement will provide information for NASA’s commercial crew transportation program being developed with several private companies, including Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville.
“I am truly excited about the addition of ULA to NASA’s commercial crew development program team,” NASA administrator Charlie Bolden said in a statement.
“Having ULA on board may speed the development of a commercial crew transportation for the international space station, allowing NASA to concentrate its resources on exploring beyond low-Earth orbit,” Bolden said.
The exchange of information with the Centennial-based rocket company will help the space agency understand the Atlas V’s design risks, capabilities and how it can be used for flying NASA crew members, said Ed Mango, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
The Atlas V, which was introduced in 2002, has achieved 100 percent mission success in launches of NASA and military payloads from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Atlas V rockets are scheduled to launch NASA’s Juno spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems of south Jefferson County, on Aug. 5, and NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission in November.
Last year, ULA was awarded $6.7 million by NASA — accompanied by its own $1.3 million investment — to develop an emergency detection system prototype.
The emergency detection system will monitor critical launch vehicle and spacecraft systems to give crews issue status, warning and abort commands during missions.
The system is the only significant flight safety element that ULA needs to meet proposed human spaceflight certification requirements, company officials said.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
