NASA Awards GPM Core Spacecraft Propellant Tank Contract
WASHINGTON – NASA has selected Carleton Technologies, Pressure Technology Division, Westminster, Md., to design, develop, fabricate and deliver a propellant tank for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project managed by Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The total estimated cost-plus award fee is $7,239,860.
Unlike conventional tanks constructed of titanium or steel, the “demiseable” GPM propellant tank is designed to burn up when the GPM Core spacecraft re-enters the atmosphere at the end of its life. The contractor will be required to design, fabricate, assemble, test and deliver a proof-of-concept development tank, qualification tank, flight tank, ground support equipment and lifting hardware, as well as deliver the necessary items for process verification.
The propellant tank will contain all of the fuel used for maneuvering the GPM Core spacecraft on orbit, and is a critical component of the spacecraft. The GPM mission is one of the next generation of satellite-based Earth science missions that will study global rain, snow and ice. The GPM Core Spacecraft is the “flagship” of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission and is slated for launch in July 2013.
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