NASA Awards $1.61 Billion Contract to Northrop Grumman for Deep Space Habitat Development

Original title: National Aeronautics and Space Administration → NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION ($1.61B)

space exploration aerospace government contracting NASA technology development

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The Frame

What this does

This contract directs $1.61 billion in federal funds toward the development of space habitation modules intended to support long-term human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

The company is responsible for executing the development of the EAM architecture and maturing specified space technologies.

NASA

The agency is funding the development of technologies to support its long-term deep space exploration goals.

What changed

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What's next

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Summary

NASA has awarded a $1.61 billion contract to Northrop Grumman to develop deep space habitation technologies. The project aims to adapt the existing spacecraft into a modular habitat for long-duration missions in space by 2020.

Key Facts

NASA awarded a $1.61 billion contract to Northrop Grumman for the NextSTEP (NASA Exploration Augmentation Module) program.
The project aims to deploy a Cygnus-derived habitat in cislunar space before 2020.
The contract focuses on evolving the existing Cygnus spacecraft to serve as a modular habitat and test platform.
The project includes defining an Exploration Augmentation Module (EAM) architecture and concept of operations.
Technology development will focus on environmental control, life support, thermal control, autonomous systems, and docking mechanisms.
The contractor is tasked with identifying state-of-the-art technologies from the NASA Technology Roadmap for maturation.
The project aims to demonstrate new technologies in the International Space Station (ISS) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment within three years.
The initiative seeks to reduce development risk and costs by leveraging existing hardware from the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) and Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the goal of this $1.61 billion contract?

The goal is to develop and mature technologies for deep space habitation, specifically by adapting the spacecraft into a modular habitat for use in space.

When is the habitat expected to be deployed?

The document states the goal is to have a -derived module deployed in space before 2020.

What specific technologies are being developed?

Focus areas include life support systems, environmental monitoring, safety and emergency response, thermal control, autonomous habitation, navigation, and docking mechanisms.

Why It Matters

This contract directs $1.61 billion in federal funds toward the development of space habitation modules intended to support long-term human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.