NASA, ATK team up on spacecraft

NASA and ATK Launch Systems Group of Brigham City are pressing ahead with the design of the next-generation space vehicle, according to a NASA statement.

The space agency says it has authorized a contract having a maximum value of $28.6 million with ATK Launch Systems (formerly ATK Thiokol), the builder of the solid fuel rockets that are used in the present space shuttle. Such a rocket will provide the first-stage thrust for the spaceship that will replace the shuttle, the Crew Launch Vehicle.

Design, development, tests and evaluation schedule are part of the contract. It also includes a design and engineering analysis that will lead to a formal systems requirements review in 2006.

"What we're working on now is defining all the requirements to go forward to development of this vehicle," said George Torres, spokesman for ATK Launch Systems. In September, when that part of the planning is finished, the review will be held, leading to the "formal, multiyear type of contract to actually go develop the vehicle." A capsule called the Crew Exploration Vehicle will be mounted atop the Crew Launch Vehicle. According to plans announced by President Bush, the system is to carry astronauts on flights to the moon, and, eventually, Mars.

But that is still years away.

"What we're doing now with NASA is assessing the requirements for a whole host of things," Torres said. The effort includes analyzing the kind of performance needed for different flight requirements.

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