WASHINGTON — NASA has narrowed the field of
private space companies vying for $175 million in public funds the U.S. space agency expects to award in early February for demonstration flights to the International
Space Station, according to industry sources closely following the competition.
At
least eight firms, and perhaps as many as 14, submitted proposals in late
November under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
Established in 2006, COTS aims to spur development of privately operated space
transportation systems capable of delivering cargo and eventually astronauts to
the space station.
NASA
selected two companies — Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. and Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) — in mid-2006
to share about $500 million. But NASA has since pulled
the plug on RpK's award for non-performance, freeing up the $175 million
NASA intends to give to some other company next month.
According
to multiple industry sources, NASA has notified four companies that they are
finalists for the $175 million and should prepare to meet with COTS selection
officials in Houston in the days ahead to defend their proposals.
Spacehab
was one of the companies notified the week of Jan. 14 that it had made the cut,
Eva DeCardenas, a spokeswoman for the Houston-based company, confirmed Jan. 17.
The
other companies, according to sources are: Andrews Space of Seattle; Orbital
Sciences of Dulles, Va.; and PlanetSpace of
Chicago.
NASA
spokeswoman Beth Dickey would not confirm that a downselect had taken place
since the COTS competition remains under way.
Industry
sources said NASA intends to announce its final selection Feb. 7, the date by
which the U.S. Government Accountability Office is required to rule on RpK's
challenge of NASA's use of Space Act Agreements for the COTS program. RpK
maintains that a traditional federal contract would be a better fit for COTS.
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