United Space Alliance Announces Space Ops Team of the Future
United Space Alliance has assembled a team of experienced, innovative experts in space operations to support the Kennedy Space Center’s mission to maintain the leading edge in space vehicle and payload processing, integration, launch and recovery operations.
The team has been assembled to compete for the Exploration Ground Launch Services (EGLS) contract, which provides ground processing and operations for launch vehicles, spacecraft and payloads in support of the Constellation, International Space Station and the Launch Services programs. In addition, it includes support for the transition and retirement of legacy assets supporting both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
Joining USA on the team are Lockheed Martin, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and Jacobs Technology. The team is led by United Space Alliance (USA) which is the primary contractor for Space Shuttle operations at KSC today. As prime contractor for EGLS, USA would offer more than 40 years of directly applicable legacy experience in launch vehicle and payload processing, including Constellation processing under current development support subcontracts on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle.
“This exceptional EGLS team brings together the ideal mix of space operations, original equipment manufacturers and small businesses with the experience, culture, flexibility, and innovation to meet our KSC customer’s mission objectives for the next generation of exploration systems,” said Dick Covey, the President and Chief Executive Officer of USA.
Lockheed Martin brings unique insight and capabilities to the team on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, lending unrivaled engineering expertise to the early development and the transition to safe and effective Constellation ground operations.
ATK contributes in-depth knowledge and experience on the Ares-I launch vehicle, providing critical engineering and processing expertise needed to support the safe and effective transition into initial operations.
Jacobs Technology, a member of the KSC Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) team, is a premier NASA engineering services provider focused on launch and processing innovations. USA’s team also includes an outstanding group of diverse, high-performance small businesses that are well suited to the technical tasks required under the EGLS contract, including Nelson Engineering, ARES Corporation, Sierra Lobo Inc., Dynamac Corporation and Aerodyne Research.
“We believe this is the right team at the right time to help position the Kennedy Space Center for the future as the premier spaceport in the world,” added Covey. “We are committed to ensuring the same level of outstanding performance in human space flight operations provided today as KSC transitions into the next era of space flight operations.”
