NASA Gives Contract Change To European Space Agency

NASA has awarded a $27.5 million contract change to the European Space Agency Space Technology Center for further engineering on the International Space Station Node 2 and 3 modules.

The contract modification extends the current contract to reflect adjustments made to the station assembly manifest and to meet increased contract requirements through June 30, 2011.

The two-year extension increases the value of the $22 million fixed price contract to $49.5 million.

Node 2, also known as the Harmony module, is scheduled for delivery to the space station on the STS-120 mission, currently slated for Oct 23. (Please see Space & Missile Defense Report, Monday, Sept. 24, 2007.)

Node 3 is still in development. The modules are being built by Alcatel Alenia Space Italia in Torino, Italy, as part of an agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency.

Node 2 is a utility hub and will serve as a passageway between three station science experiment facilities: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module and the European Columbus Laboratory.

NASA Gives Lockheed NOAA GOES-R Instrument Contract

NASA awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] a $178 million Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) contract for one instrument and other instruments that might be procured with contract options.

The space agency, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced that Lockheed will design and develop the Solar Ultraviolet Imager instrument, which will fly on the next generation of geostationary satellites.

The first satellite in the GOES-R series is set to launch in December 2014.?The instrument will provide broadband imaging in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength to monitor dynamic features on the sun, from coronal holes to flares.

It also will provide better direct measurements of solar features. These data are used for geomagnetic storm forecasts and predictions of solar energetic particle events related to flares.

Lockheed will provide post-delivery support for the Solar Ultraviolet Imager.

NOAA funds, operates and manages the GOES-R program, while the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the acquisition of GOES-R instruments for NOAA.

Computer Sciences Gains Missile Defense Agency Sole Source Contract

The Missile Defense Agency awarded Computer Sciences Corporation of Falls Church, Virginia, an $8.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee sole source contract.

The company will work on a visual information production center and director’s action group services.

They will be provided in the Washington, D.C., area and in Huntsville, Ala., by next September.?Research and development funds will be used in the program.