WASHINGTON -- Kelly Space & Technology Inc. and Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. are teaming up to develop a second-generation reusable launch vehicle design and related technologies under NASA’s Space Launch Initiative, the companies announced in a joint statement Jan. 23.
The Space Launch Initiative is a five-year, $4.5 billion effort aimed ultimately at developing a replacement for NASA’s space shuttle fleet.
Kelly Space of San Bernardino, California said it will design a concept based on its patented tow-launch technology, which uses a Boeing 747 aircraft and cable system to tow a reusable rocket to an altitude of 19,882 feet (6,060 meters) for launch.
The team’s submission includes proposals for reusable launcher systems engineering and several technology risk-reduction activities, the statement said. The value of the proposal was not disclosed.
Dallas-based Vought will add its airframe design expertise to the joint effort, the statement said, while Kelley Space will be the prime contractor. Vought builds structures for the Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft.
"Vought’s history is rich in successful development of leading-edge flight systems that have performed crucial roles in this nation’s aerospace history," Robert M. Davis, Kelly’s president and chief executive officer, said in the statement.
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