ATK [ATK] said yesterday it formed a four-person independent assessment team whose first task is to advise the company on its development of a commercial human certification plan for its Liberty commercial space crew transportation system.
The panel is led by Bryan O’Connor with team members Ken Bowersox, Kevin Leclaire and Alain Souchier, the company said in a statement. O’Connor is a former two-time shuttle astronaut and Marine Corps test pilot who has served as assistant program manager for the Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier and NASA space shuttle programs. The AV-8 is developed by Boeing [BA] and BAE Systems.
Bowersox will oversee crew training and Liberty’s commercial human certification plan as he is a former Navy test pilot and astronaut with four shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission under his belt.
Leclaire, having experience in starting and developing space-related companies and providing management consulting services to clients involved in the space, satellite and technology sectors, will oversee the business aspects of the program.
Souchier will ensure all aspects of the Vulcain 2 engine upgrades for air start will be effectively implemented. Souchier was the program manager for the design of the stage propulsion systems on the Ariane 5 central core and the technical manager over the engineering department that developed the Vulcain Ariane 5 cryogenic engine.
Developing the Liberty-specific commercial human certification plan early in the program ensures the system will be designed from the outset to ensure flight crew and passenger safety, according to an ATK senior official.
“As we build Liberty using streamlined and affordable commercial approaches, we intend to maintain a steady emphasis on crew safety, which is why we brought together top talent for the Liberty independent assessment team,” ATK Vice President and Program Manager for Liberty Kent Rominger said in a statement.
ATK is the prime contractor for Liberty with Astrium, a subsidiary of European Aeronautics, Defence and Space Co., and Lockheed Martin [LMT] as subcontractors.
Unmanned test flights of Liberty are scheduled for 2014 and 2015, followed by the first human flights in 2015, the company said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates commercial human spaceflight and will used a phased approach to regulating the crew and passenger safety of the emerging commercial human spaceflight industry, ATK said in its statement.