NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION · VA
💵 SPENDING OPINION
IGF::OT::IGF NEXTSTEP NRA AWARD. THIS NEXTSTEP CONTRACT BUILDS UPON THE SUCCESS OF COMMERCIAL ORBITAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES SPACE ACT AGREEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND AN EXISTING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) COMMERCIAL RESUPPLY SERVICES (CRS) CONTRACT. ORBITAL HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED FROM COTS TO THE CRS PROGRAM, FLYING THREE VERY SUCCESSFUL PRESSURIZED CARGO RESUPPLY MISSIONS TO THE ISS, USING THE CYGNUS SPACECRAFT. ORBITAL ALSO SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED SPACECRAFT FOR SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION TO INCLUDE THE CURRENTLY OPERATIONAL DAWN MISSION. THIS MISSION WAS LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER 2007, COMPLETED ITS RENDEZVOUS MISSION AT VESTA IN JULY 2012 AND IS EN ROUTE TO CERES IN EARLY 2015. WITH SPACE AGENCY BUDGETS CONTINUING TO BE TIGHT, EXPLORATION PLANS NEED TO EMPHASIZE EVOLUTION OF EXISTING SYSTEMS, WHERE COST AND SCHEDULE IS BETTER CONTROLLED, AND DEVELOPMENT RISK REDUCED. SPECIFICALLY, ELEMENTS OF THE CURRENT ISS, INCLUDING CYGNUS, CAN BE EVOLVED TO SUPPORT MORE DISTANT SPACE DESTINATIONS. TO SUPPORT THESE ENDEAVORS, ORBITAL CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT OF CYGNUS AND TO NEXTSTEP ACTIVITIES AND HAVE INVESTED IN THE COTS CRS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ENDEAVOR. ORBITAL'S EXPLORATION AUGMENTATION MODULE (BAM) ARCHITECTURE USES A MODULAR, BUILDING BLOCK APPROACH THAT LEVERAGES THE CYGNUS SPACECRAFT TO EXPAND CISLUNAR AND LONG DURATION DEEP SPACE TRANSIT HABITATION CAPABILITIES AND TECHNOLOGIES CRITICAL TO NASAS LONG-TERM EXPLORATION GOALS. ORBITALS ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT BLENDS IN-PRODUCTION HARDWARE WITH ADAPTATION, EVOLUTION, PLANNING, AND FORWARD THINKING. CYGNUS WILL SERVE AS A MODULAR HABITAT AND TEST PLATFORM FOR QUALIFYING TECHNOLOGIES IN A DISTANT RETROGRADE ORBIT (DRO) OR IN A LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO), EITHER WHILE ATTACHED TO THE ISS OR AS A FREE-FLYER. USING THE EXISTING, OPERATIONAL CYGNUS TO PERFORM THESE MISSIONS HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF DECREASING OVERALL DEVELOPMENT TIME AND COSTS, AND FREEING UP RESOURCES THAT WOULD BE SPENT ON DEVELOPING A SPACECRAFT TO FOCUS ON CULTIVATING MISSION ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A CYGNUS DERIVED EAM DEPLOYED IN CISLUNAR SPACE BEFORE 2020. THIS SPACECRAFT WILL BE THE FIRST BUILDING BLOCK IN SUPPORTING BOTH COMMERCIAL MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES. THE PROPOSED EFFORT FOR THIS NEXTSTEP BAA PHASE I, INVOLVES DEFINING AN EAM ARCHITECTURE AND CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS (CONOPS) THAT ADDRESSES COMMERCIAL MARKETS AND NASA EXPLORATION OBJECTIVES, TECHNOLOGY MATURATION PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, AND TO IDENTIFY TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AND DEMONSTRATED IN THE ISSILEO ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. TO MATURE HABITATION TECHNOLOGIES, THE CONTRACTOR WILL IDENTIFY STATE OF THE ART (SOA) TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS NASA TECHNOLOGY AREAS (TAS) DEFINED IN THE NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP. FOCUS WILL BE ON MATURATION OF THE FOLLOWING TECHNOLOGIES ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND HABITATION THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AUTONOMOUS HABITATION SYSTEMS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT DOCKING AND CAPTURE MECHANISMS AND DEPLOYABLE HABITATION ELEMENTS
National Aeronautics and Space Administration → $1.6B to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Judge how your money was spent, worth it or wasteful, on the record.
Be the first to put your opinion on the record.
✦ WHY THIS MONEY IS BEING SPENT
WHAT IS THIS?
This is a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) contract worth approximately $1.6 billion awarded to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation to design and develop a space habitat module, called the Exploration Augmentation Module, that builds on the existing Cygnus cargo spacecraft to support future deep space missions beyond low Earth orbit.
WHY WAS THIS FUNDED?
This award was made under NASA's NextSTEP (Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships) program, which uses a public-private partnership model to develop exploration technologies while keeping government costs lower by partnering with companies that invest their own resources alongside federal funding.
WHAT PUBLIC PROBLEM IS IT TRYING TO SOLVE?
NASA needs affordable ways to send humans farther into space, including to the area around the Moon and eventually deep space, but building entirely new spacecraft from scratch is expensive and slow, so this contract explores using existing, proven hardware as a starting point.
WHO BENEFITS?
Aerospace engineers and workers at Northrop Grumman benefit directly through employment on this program. The broader American public benefits if the work advances NASA's long-term goal of human exploration beyond Earth orbit, including potential future missions to the Moon and Mars.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
A contract running from 2015 to 2029 with $1.6 billion at stake carries significant risk of cost overruns or schedule delays, especially given the technical complexity of deep space habitation. The contract type is listed as unknown, which limits transparency into how costs and performance are being managed and overseen.
WHAT HAPPENS IF FUNDING IS REMOVED?
Cancellation would likely halt development of the Exploration Augmentation Module concept and delay NASA's ability to test and qualify habitation technologies needed for long-duration deep space missions. It could also disrupt the public-private partnership model NASA has relied on for commercial space development.
ARGUMENTS FOR
- •Building on the already-proven Cygnus spacecraft reduces development time and cost compared to designing a completely new vehicle from scratch.
- •The public-private partnership structure means Northrop Grumman contributes its own investment alongside taxpayer dollars, spreading the financial risk.
- •Advancing habitation and life support technologies is essential groundwork for any future crewed missions to the Moon, Mars, or beyond.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST
- •A $1.6 billion commitment over 14 years is a very large, long-term obligation that locks in taxpayer funds even if NASA priorities or budgets shift significantly.
- •The contract type is listed as unknown, making it difficult for the public to assess whether costs are being properly controlled and taxpayer money is well protected.
- •Some critics argue that government funds for deep space exploration could be better spent on nearer-term needs such as Earth science, education, or infrastructure.
✦ SPENDING TIMELINE
Citizen opinionWritten opinion on whether this spending is appropriate · not a duplicate of the Worth It / Wasteful vote or trade data
Is this spending appropriate?
Similar opinions on this spending record can open a solution poll. Context: NASA needs affordable ways to send humans farther into space, including to the area around the Moon and eventually deep space, but building entirely new spacecr
ENTITY-LOCAL CLUSTER
No clustering opinions yet on this item. 3 similar voices (cosine ≥ 0.80) open a solution poll.
Loading opinions…
Your stance is citizen opinion; it does not form a citizen mandate. Mandate accountability applies when Congress votes on tracked legislation.