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Commercial Crew & Cargo ProgramCommercial Crew & Cargo Program

Reference InformationReference Information

NASA Crew & Cargo Program NASA Crew & Cargo Program SpaceXSpaceX

Orbital Sciences Cargo Orbital Sciences Cargo Resupply Resupply

Commercial CrewCommercial CrewProgramProgram

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Commercial Crew & Cargo Program - Page 1 of 2 NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO) has established a two-phased approach to implement its International Space Station (ISS) logistics strategy after the Shuttle was retired providing an opportunity for commercial space transportation services. C3PO is working with industry to develop and demonstrate crew transportation capabilities once significant progress is demonstrated in cargo transportation.

Commercial Cargo Program- Phase 1 - Development and DemonstrationPhase 1 is called the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Demonstrations project. Under COTS, NASA helps industry develop and demonstrate its own crew cargo space transportation capabilities. Industry leads and directs its own efforts with NASA providing technical and financial assistance. -- NASA is investing approximately $800M from 2006 thru 2012 toward cargo space transportation flight demonstrations which are planned for completion in 2012. NASA payments are made only upon completion of progress milestones by its industry partners.- Phase 2 - ISS Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) The government conducted a competitive procurement for cargo services to support the ISS. -- On December 23, 2008, NASA entered into contracts with Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to utilize their COTS cargo vehicles Cygnus and Dragon, respectively, for cargo delivery to the ISS.

Commercial Crew & Cargo Program - Page 2 of 2 Commercial Crew Program- Commercial Crew Development (CCDev)In 2009, NASA began commercial crew initiatives to stimulate the private sector to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities that could ultimately lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for both commercial and government customers. -- Two phases of the CCDev program (CCDev 1 and 2) were awarded to American commercial firms for the purpose of fostering research and development. - Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (formerly CCDev 3)In February 2012, NASA began a new initiative, the Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap), to facilitate industry’s development of an integrated crew transportation system (CTS). This activity is expected to result in maturation of commercial CTS. -- NASA solicited proposals from U.S. space industry participants to mature the design and development of an integrated CTS which includes spacecraft, launch vehicle, ground and mission systems. --- The final Request for Proposal was released on February 7, 2012 and the proposals were due on March 23, 2012.-- The selected CCiCap participants will receive funded Space Act Agreements awarded in July or August 2012 lasting until May 2014. --- The contenders include: Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX.

Commercial Crew & Cargo ProgramCommercial Crew Program Schedule (as of February 7, 2012)

Credit: NASA

Dragon Spacecraft Cargo Configuration

The Dragon spacecraft cargo configuration is comprised of 3 main elements: 1) Nose Cap - protects the vessel and the ISS common berthing mechanism during ascent

and jettisoned after stage separation; 2) Spacecraft - houses the pressurized cargo as well as the service section containing

avionics, the RCS system, parachutes, and other support subsystems; 3) Trunk - provides for the stowage of unpressurized cargo and will support Dragon’s solar

arrays and thermal radiators. The thermal radiators are not shown.

Credit: SpaceX

Nose Cap Spacecraft

Pressurized Cargo

ISS Common Berthing Mechanism

Unpressurized Cargo

Trunk

Solar Array(Stowed)

ForwardHatch

Credit: SpaceX

Dragon Spacecraft The Spacecraft Engineering Model (left) is shown at the SpaceX, Hawthorne, CA facility. The model is a manufacturing pathfinder, made just as the production flight units. This model and others were used for splashdown and structural testing.

The capsule is 20 ft in length with a maximum diameter of 12.1 ft. The side hatch opening has a height of 26 in and the base is 29 in. The Nosecone is located on top of the capsule and jettisoned after launch. The ablative thermal protection system is not shown.

The Qualification Unit as seen at Hawthorne, CA After using it for ground tests, SpaceX launched it into low Earth orbit on the maiden flight of the Falcon 9 rocket on June 4, 2010.

SpaceX used the launch to evaluate the aerodynamic conditions on the spacecraft and performance of the rocket. The spacecraft orbited the Earth over 300 times before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on June 29, 2010.

Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and unmanned Dragon spacecraft is shown lifting off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on December 8, 2010.

After releasing the Dragon capsule, the Falcon 9 deployed a cache of small CubeSat secondary payloads then fired its engine a second time to reach an orbit with a peak altitude of about 6,800 miles.

The Dragon spacecraft achieved a nearly perfect 186 mile circular orbit for its trial run. Dragon flew two orbits executing a pre-programmed series of maneuvers and systems checks that would be needed for an ISS rendezvous and docking.

Over Australia, the spacecraft fired four of its 18 thrusters for 6 minutes to de-orbit and re-entered the atmosphere. Drogue chutes, and then three main parachutes, released on time, slowed Dragon to a 26 ft per second landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, CA 3 hours and 19 minutes after launch.

Credit: SpaceX

Second Stage

Payload Fairing & Dragon

First Stage

Demo Flight 1 Launch

On May 22, 2012, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL successfully launching the unmanned Dragon into orbit on a test flight to deliver supplies to the ISS. The 1,150 lbs of supplies included food, crew provisions, student-developed experiments, and computer equipment.

Falcon 9 also carried small canisters filled with cremated remains that included Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, who died in 2004, and actor James Doohan, who portrayed chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek television series. James Doohan died in 2005.

After separation from the rocket, Dragon released the aerodynamic shields over its solar panels before deploying the arrays to generate electricity. The approach to the ISS was slow and methodical. Several planned and unplanned pauses were made to make sure Dragon's abort system was operating, its LIDAR laser ranging sensors were working, and its thermal cameras were seeing their target properly.

Credit: SpaceX

Demo Flight 2 Launch

Demo Flight 2 Capture and Berth to the ISSOn May 25, 2012, the Dragon cargo spacecraft was captured by the ISS’ 58 ft Canadarm2 robotic arm. The robotic arm (left) is shown maneuvering Dragon into a position where it could be berthed to the ISS Harmony module.

The Dragon cargo spacecraft (right) was joined using the active Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) on the Harmony module in a similar fashion to the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. The Dragon passive CBM was captured and drawn into the desired position by 4 Harmony capture latches and secured by 16 Harmony bolts.

Credit: NASA

Credit: NASA

Demo Flight 2 ISS Operations and ReturnOn May 26, 2012, Dragon’s hatch was opened. An ISS Expedition 31 crew member photographed the interior (left). The hatch is at the top and the supplies that have not been unloaded are shown supported inside the spacecraft. After the supplies were unloaded, the equipment to be returned to Earth was loaded.

After the hatch was closed, the robotic arm grappled Dragon, maneuvered the spacecraft a safe distance from the ISS and released it. The cargo ship was then de-orbited and returned safely to Earth landing 560 miles west of Baja California, Mexico (right) completing a feat never before achieved by private industry. A fleet of recovery vessels, staffed with SpaceX engineers and divers, retrieved the capsule from the sea. SpaceX plans to reuse Dragon on future ISS cargo missions.

Credit: NASA

Credit: Michael Altenhofen/SpaceX

Program Launch Date or Target

Vehicle Launch Site

Duration Flight Objective or Summary

NASA COTS - Demo Flight 1

Dec. 8, 2010

Falcon 9/ Dragon

Cape Canaveral

3.3 hours The Dragon spacecraft completed two 186 mile Earth circular orbits executing a series of maneuvers and systems checkouts that will be needed for an ISS rendezvous and docking. It was then de-orbited and landed in the Pacific Ocean off of the coast of Baja California, Mexico where the capsule was recovered. (1)

NASA COTS - Demo Flight 2

May 22, 2012

Falcon 9/Dragon

Cape Canaveral

10 days Full cargo mission profile including mate to the ISS, resupply and cargo return.

NASA Resupply to ISS - Flight 1

Sept. 2012 (2)

(3)

Falcon 9/Dragon

Cape Canaveral

Not Available

Full cargo mission profile.

NASA Resupply to ISS - Flight 2

2012 (3) Falcon 9/Dragon

Cape Canaveral

Not Available

Full cargo mission profile.

Notes:(1) Shear Magic by Irene Klotz, Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 13, 2010,

page 22(2) Formal reviews in June 2012 should clear the way for the first operational cargo mission in

September 2012 (SpaceFlight Now.com, May 31, 2012).(3) Year for hardware arrival at launch site.

Credit: SpaceXSpaceX Partial CRS Launch Manifest

Dragon Spacecraft Crew Configuration

The Dragon spacecraft crew configuration is similar to the cargo configuration except the spacecraft houses the crew and not the pressurized cargo. The nose cap and thermal radiators are not shown.

Credit: SpaceX

Solar Array(Stowed)

Trunk

Spacecraft

Crew(7 Maximum)

Unpressurized Cargo

ISS CommonBerthingMechanism

ForwardHatch

Cygnus Spacecraft

Under a three-year COTS cooperative agreement with NASA, Orbital Sciences is developing a new space transportation system to demonstrate the capability to deliver supplies to the ISS. The COTS program involves the full-scale flight demonstration of a commercial cargo delivery system employing the new Antares medium-class launch vehicle, the Cygnus spacecraft including a module to carry pressurized cargo. The spacecraft is not required to return to the Earth. The first COTS demonstration mission is expected no sooner than October or November 2012.

Pressurized Cargo Module

Service Module

Credit: Orbital

Cygnus Spacecraft Approaches/Berths to the ISSThe unmanned Cygnus cargo spacecraft approaches the ISS (left) where the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the vehicle. The robotic arm will then maneuver Cygnus into a position where it can be joined using the active Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) on the Harmony module in a similar fashion to the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. The Cygnus passive CBM is captured and drawn into the desired position by 4 Harmony capture latches and secured by 16 Harmony bolts.

The Cygnus cargo spacecraft is shown berthed to the Harmony module where cargo can be unloaded. The spacecraft can then be loaded with waste. After the Cygnus spacecraft is loaded, the robotic arm grapples the vehicle, maneuvers the spacecraft a safe distance from the ISS and releases it. The spacecraft will then de-orbit and burn-up when it enters Earth’s atmosphere.

Credit: Orbital

Credit: Orbital

Antares Launch VehicleAntares is a two-stage expendable launch vehicle with a 12.8 ft diameter payload fairing designed to provide access to space for medium-class payloads weighing up to 13,492 lbs. It will be designed to launch payloads into a variety of low inclination low-Earth orbits, and sun-synchronous, geo-transfer and interplanetary orbits. An object in a sun-synchronous orbit ascends or descends over any given point of the Earth's surface at the same local mean solar time.

The Antares development is funded by Orbital and the COTS program. The first test flight of the Antares launch vehicle from the Wallops Flight Facility, VA is expected to occur in August 2012.

First Stage

SecondStage

Payload Fairing

Credit: Orbital

Enhanced Cygnus Spacecraft

Beginning with the fourth Cygnus mission, an enhanced spacecraft will continue providing logistics services to the ISS. The enhanced Cygnus incorporates a larger pressurized cargo module than the spacecraft used in the first three Cygnus missions. The enhanced vehicle can carry an additional 1,600 lbs of crew supplies, spares and scientific experiments to the ISS. The spacecraft will also use a pair of 11 ft diameter lightweight ATK Ultraflex solar arrays. The arrays will provide the same power as those used in the first three missions but with significantly reduced mass.

Credit: Orbital

Antares and Cygnus Schedule Credit: Orbital

Legend: COTS - Commercial Orbital Transportation Services CRS - Commercial Resupply Services

PCM - Pressurized Cargo Module Q1 - Fiscal Year Quarter 1

Above is an overview of the most current projections for the integration, testing and operations of the Antares and Cygnus spacecraft for the COTS and CRS programs. The time line is intended to offer general insight and is subject to change.

Antares & Cygnus Development and Flight Milestones in 2011-2012 (as of October 2011)

An

tare

s

AntaresTest Flight

** Vehicle 2 will be flown on Antares Test Flight

Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) In February 2010, NASA selected five commercial firms to develop crew transportation concepts and technology demonstrations for human spaceflight using Recovery Act Funds. Under CCDev 1, NASA announced $50 million in stimulus-package funding. Winning contractors used the money to support commercial crew launch vehicles and other hardware that NASA hopes will be available as early as 2016 to ferry crews to the ISS.

Sierra Nevada Corporation of Louisville, CO was awarded $20 million in CCDev 1 stimulus funding. The “Dream Chaser” (left) entry is based on NASA’s old HL-20 lifting body.

Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation

The Boeing Company’s Houston based Space Exploration Division is working with Bigelow Aerospace to design a capsule (right) capable of flying on “multiple launch vehicles.” Boeing received $18 million to advance the CCDev 1 work. The three other firms selected were: Blue Origin ($3.7 M) from Kent, WA; Paragon Space Development Corporation ($1.44M) from Tucson, AZ; and United Launch Alliance ($6.7M) from Centennial, CO.

On April 18, 2011, NASA awarded about $270 million for CCDev 2 to the four commercial companies to continue development of spacecraft capable of safely flying astronauts into orbit and to the International Space Station.

Credit: Boeing

Commercial Crew Development - SNC Dream Chaser Test Vehicle

February 2010 - The partially completed Dream Chaser atmospheric test vehicle is shown while NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver speaks at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

The atmospheric flight test vehicle will first be used as the static test article. The atmospheric flight test vehicle will be used in 2012 for drop tests.

Credit: NASA

The Dream Chaser is planned to carry a crew of seven to and from low Earth orbit. The spacecraft is being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).

The vehicle would launch vertically on an Atlas V and return from space by gliding and landing at almost any aircraft runway in the world.

The 19,800 lbs spacecraft will have a length of 29.5 ft with a wing span of 22.9 ft.

Credit: NASA

Commercial Crew Development - SNC Flight Test Vehicle Completes Captive-Carry Test

On May 29, 2012, the flight test vehicle was lifted by a helicopter near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, CO during a captive-carry test. The test marks the completion of another milestone for the Dream Chaser Space System as part of the CCDev 2 agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

The helicopter lifted the full-scale orbital crew vehicle to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance. Future plans call for the flight vehicle to be released to evaluate the design's handling during the landing phase of a mission. Just like the space shuttle before it, Dream Chaser will go through extensive testing to prove its wings will work.

Replace with Dream Chaser model drop available?

Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation

Commercial Crew Development - Boeing CST-100 Spacecraft

Boeing has matured the design of its CST-100 spacecraft (left) under the CCDev 1 Space Act Agreement with NASA. The CST-100 will be bigger than Apollo and be able to launch on a variety of different rockets, including Atlas, Delta and Falcon. It will use a simple systems architecture and existing, proven components. The "100" in CST-100 refers to the 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) from the ground to low Earth orbit.

The service module uses batteries instead of solar arrays for power, so the nominal flight profile calls for docking at the International Space Station (ISS) on the day of launch. it is designed to remain at the station for as long as seven months in a lifeboat role.

Credit: Boeing

The CST-100 can carry a crew of seven and is designed to support the ISS and the Bigelow Aerospace Orbital Space Complex (right). Bigelow Aerospace anticipates construction of their first space station will begin in early 2014, and the station will be available by 2015 for client use. Bigelow Aerospace astronauts will arrive in a commercial crew capsule to set up the first module (Sundancer-One) and bring supplies.

Replace with Latest Image

Credit: Boeing

Commercial Crew Development - Blue Origin Delta Clipper-Experimental

The first lift-off (left) and landing (right) of the Delta Clipper-Experimental (DC-X) on August 18, 1993 are shown.

The DC-X was never designed to achieve orbital altitudes or velocity, but to demonstrate the concept of vertical take-off and landing.

The Blue Origin New Shepard vehicle is based on the DC-X design.

Credit: NASA Credit: NASA

The New Shepard system is a rocket-propelled vehicle designed to routinely fly multiple astronauts into suborbital space at competitive prices. In addition to providing the public with opportunities to experience spaceflight, it will provide researchers the capability to fly experiments into space and a microgravity environment.

The New Shepard vehicle is named after the first American astronaut in space, Alan Shepard.

Commercial Crew Integrated Capability - ATKThe Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative is the former third round of the Commercial Crew Development program and was originally called CCDev 3. Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) joins the four CCDev 2 commercial firms as contenders for the CCiCap awards valued at $300-500 million.

ATK was required to meet milestones under a CCDev 2 unfunded Space Act Agreement that enabled NASA and ATK teams to exchange technical information related to the Liberty launch vehicle (left) during the Preliminary Design Review phase. ATK is responsible for the composite crew module, Maximum Launch Abort System (MLAS), shuttle-derived solid first stage, system integration and ground and mission operations, while Astrium provides the cryogenic second stage powered by the Vulcain 2 engine and Lockheed Martin provides subsystems and other support.

Credit: NASA

The Liberty crew module design will be based on the full-scale composite capsule (right) delivered to NASA for structural tests in 2009. The spacecraft leverages design work performed at NASA Langley Research Center, VA on the crew module and MLAS, in which ATK was a contractor.

Credit: ATK

First Stage

SecondStage

Crew Module

Credit: ATK

Reference Information - Page 1 of 4

History:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Orbital_Transportation_Serviceshttp://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/08nasabudget/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8489097.stmhttp://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/13obama/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Authorization_Act_of_2010

NASA Crew & Cargo Program:http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/about/c3po.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Orbital_Transportation_Serviceshttp://www.spacex.com/dragon.phphttp://spaceflightnow.com/antares/120420update/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Crew_Developmenthttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Commercial_Crew_schedule.pnghttp://www.nasa.gov/images/content/193874main_COTS_overview.jpg

SpaceX:http://www.spacex.com/photo_gallery.phphttp://www.spacex.com/dragon.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceXhttp://www.spacex.com/dragon.phphttp://www.spacex.com/downloads/dragonlab-datasheet.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(spacecraft)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Spacecraft_Qualification_UnitShear Magic by Irene Klotz, Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 13, 2010, page 22 - first launch/return of SpaceX Dragon and future plans. http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/101209reaction/

Reference Information - Page 2 of 4

SpaceX (Continued):http://www.spacex.com/http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.phphttp://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/003/120525arrival/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-31/hires/iss031e070804.jpghttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-31/hires/iss031e077562.jpghttp://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/003/rendezvous/http://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/design_lib/ICES01-2435.ISS_CBM.pdfhttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-31/html/iss031e077780.htmlhttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-31/html/jsc2012e057802.htmlhttp://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/003/120531splashdown/http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.php

Orbital Sciences Cargo Resupply:http://www.orbital.com/images/High/artist_Cygnus_high.jpghttp://www.orbital.com/HumanSpaceExplorationSystems/http://www.orbital.com/images/High/Cygnus_ISS_Hi.jpghttp://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/design_lib/ICES01-2435.ISS_CBM.pdfhttp://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/Publications/Cygnus_fact.pdfhttp://www.thalesaleniaspace-issmodules.com/cygnushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_(spacecraft)http://www.thalesaleniaspace-issmodules.com/cygnushttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/TaurusII_Wallops.jpghttp://www.orbital.com/SpaceLaunch/Antares/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares_(rocket)http://www.orbital.com/CargoResupplyServices/

Reference Information - Page 3 of 4

Commercial Crew Program:http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/feb/HQ_C10-004_Commercia_Crew_Dev.htmlhttp://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/partners/sierranevada/index.htmlhttp://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/partners/boeing/index.htmlJump Start by Frank Morring, Jr; Aviation Week and Space Technology; February 8, 2010; Volume 172, Number 6, page 23 - companies awarded NASA stimulus funding to continue development of crew transportation systems.http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/ccdev2award.htmlhttp://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=33744http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1054http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=33780http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.spacewire.html?pid=33746http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=33779http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Launch_Alliancehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Sierra_Nevada_Dream_Chaser_spacecraft_2.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Sierra_Nevada_Dream_Chaser_spacecraft.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Chaser_(spacecraft)http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/654173main_snc_captivecarry.jpghttp://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/snc_captivecarry.htmlhttp://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=13&item=1208http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=13&item=1206The New Space Race by Frank Morring, Jr; Aviation Week and Space Technology; April 25/May 2, 2011; Volume 173, Number 15, pages 24 to 26 - a second round of CCDev funding was awarded to companies to develop possible crew transportation systems to succeed the space shuttle.http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/orbital-complex-construction.phphttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Delta_Clipper_DC-X_first_flight.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/DC-XA_first_landing.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X

Reference Information - Page 4 of 4

Commercial Crew Program (Continued):http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/partners/blueorigin/index.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Origin_New_Shepardhttp://www.nasa.gov/images/content/617389main_atk_artistconcept.jpghttp://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/atk_milestone.htmlLiberty Crew Module photograph provided by ATK.Aiming High by Guy Norris; Aviation Week and Space Technology; May 14, 2012; Volume 174, Number 17, page 24 to 25 - description of Alliant Techsystems Liberty launch system and team.http://atk.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=25280&item=128260

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History of Commercial Orbital Transportation Services - Page 1 of 2 NASA explored a program for International Space Station (ISS) services in the mid 1990s titled “Alternate Access.” While NASA funded Alternate Access no further than preliminary studies, this program convinced numerous entrepreneurs that the ISS could emerge as a significant market opportunity.

After years of keeping orbital transport for human spaceflight in-house, NASA concluded that firms in a free market could develop and operate such a system more efficiently and affordably than a government bureaucracy. In November 2005, Michael D. Griffin, the NASA Administrator, believed that when the engine of competition is engaged, these services would be provided in a more cost-effective fashion than if the government would do it. He also believed that, with the advent of the ISS, there will exist for the first time a strong, identifiable market for “routine” transportation service to and from low Earth orbit, and this will be only the first step in what will be a huge opportunity for truly commercial space enterprise. Furthermore, if such services were unavailable by the end of 2010, NASA would be forced to purchase Orbital Transportation Services on foreign spacecraft such as the Russian Federal Space Agency's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle, or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle since NASA's own Crew Exploration Vehicle may not be ready until 2014. NASA asserts that once Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) is operational, it will no longer procure Russian cargo delivery services.

NASA anticipates that COTS services to the ISS will be necessary through at least 2015. NASA projects at most a half-dozen COTS flights a year that would transport 10 tons annually.

In the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster, President George W. Bush decided to complete the ISS and retire the shuttle by 2010. At the same time, he directed NASA to begin development of new launch vehicles, capsules and landers to carry astronauts back to the moon by the early 2020s. NASA then developed the Constellation program to implement those directives, spending some $9 billion over the past five years. Orion was Constellation’s spacecraft to transport astronauts to/from low Earth orbit as well as send them to the moon and back.

In 2009, President Barack Obama set up a panel of outside experts to review NASA's plans and how much they might ultimately cost. The panel concluded that NASA could not afford to implement Constellation, or any other reasonable exploration program, without an additional $3 billion or so per year, primarily to make up for earlier budget reductions. The panel favored a shift to commercial launch services to carry astronauts to and from low Earth orbit while NASA focused on the development of a new heavy-lift rocket system that would enable eventual flights to the moon, nearby asteroids, or even the moons of Mars.

In February 2010, President Barack Obama proposed the cancellation of the Constellation program due to it being too costly, “over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation.” He also endorsed using commercial crew transportation to/from low Earth orbit. In April 2010, President Obama announced that he supported the development of a scaled-down version of Constellation's Orion crew capsule for use as an ISS emergency escape vehicle and possible technology test bed. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 authorized NASA appropriations for fiscal years 2011 - 2013 including a long-term goal for human spaceflight to expand a permanent human presence beyond low Earth orbit. Orion was selected as the primary crew vehicle.

History of Commercial Orbital Transportation Services - Page 2 of 2

Dragon Spacecraft - Page 1 of 2 Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is an American space transport company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk in June 2002. It has developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, both of which are partially reusable launch vehicles. SpaceX is also developing the Dragon series of spacecraft orbited by Falcon 9 launchers. SpaceX designs, tests and fabricates the majority of their components in-house, including the Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco rocket engines. SpaceX is based in Hawthorne, CA. In December 2008, NASA announced the selection of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft to resupply the ISS after the Space Shuttle retires. The $1.6 billion contract represents a minimum of 12 flights with an option to order additional missions for a cumulative total contract value of up to $3.1 billion.

Dragon is a free-flying, reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX. Initiated internally by SpaceX in 2005, the Dragon spacecraft consists of a pressurized capsule and unpressurized trunk used for Earth to low Earth orbit transport of pressurized cargo, unpressurized cargo, and/or crew members. To ensure a rapid transition from cargo to crew capability, the cargo and crew configurations of Dragon are almost identical with the exception of the crew escape system, the life support system and onboard controls that allow the crew to take over control from the flight computer when needed. This focus on commonality minimizes the design effort and simplifies the human rating process allowing systems critical to Dragon crew safety and ISS safety to be fully tested on unmanned demonstration flights. For cargo launches, the inside of the spacecraft is outfitted with a modular cargo rack system designed to accommodate pressurized cargo in standard sizes and form factors. For crewed launches, the interior will be outfitted with crew couches, controls with manual override capability and upgraded life-support.

Dragon Spacecraft - Page 2 of 2 Characteristics/capabilities include:- Overall length is 20 ft and maximum diameter is 12.1 ft- Fully autonomous rendezvous with manual override capability in crewed configuration- 13,228 lbs payload up-mass to LEO; 6,614 lbs payload down-mass to Earth - Payload Volume: 245 cubic ft pressurized, 490 cubic ft unpressurized- Supports up to 7 passengers in crew configuration - Two-fault tolerant avionics system with extensive heritage- Reaction control system with 18 MMH/NTO (monomethylhydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide) thrusters designed and built in-house; these thrusters are used for both attitude control and orbital maneuvering- 2844 lbs of propellant supports a safe mission profile from sub-orbital insertion to ISS rendezvous to re-entry- Integral common berthing mechanism (CBM), with LIDS or APAS support, if required- Designed for water landing under parachute for ocean recovery - Lifting re-entry for landing precision and low-gravity - Ablative, high-performance heat shield and sidewall thermal protection

Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle - Page 1 of 2 Falcon 9 - SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles that will provide light, medium and heavy lift capabilities to launch spacecraft into any altitude and inclination, from low Earth to geosynchronous to planetary missions. Falcon 1 was the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to achieve Earth orbit. It is a small, partially reusable rocket capable of placing 1480 lbs into low earth orbit. It also functioned as a test bed for developing concepts and components for the larger Falcon 9. Like Falcon 1, Falcon 9 is a two stage, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle. It is in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) class with a 17 ft diameter payload fairing. It delivers medium sized payloads into low-Earth, geosynchronous, or transfer orbits. First Stage - The Falcon 9 tank walls and domes are made from aluminum lithium alloy. SpaceX uses an all friction stir-welded tank. Like Falcon 1, the interstage, which connects the upper and lower stage for Falcon 9, is a carbon fiber aluminum core composite structure. The separation system is a larger version of the pneumatic pushers used on Falcon 1.- Nine SpaceX Merlin engines power the Falcon 9 first stage with 125,000 lbs sea level thrust per engine for a total thrust on liftoff of just over 1.1 million lbs. After engine start, Falcon is held down until all vehicle systems are verified to be functioning normally before release for liftoff. Second Stage - The second stage tank of Falcon 9 is a shorter version of the first stage tank and uses most of the same tooling, material and manufacturing techniques. This results in significant cost savings in vehicle production.- A single Merlin engine powers the Falcon 9 upper stage with an expansion ratio of 117:1 and a nominal burn time of 345 seconds. For added reliability of restart, the engine has dual redundant pyrophoric igniters.

Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle - Page 2 of 2 SpaceX Merlin Engine - The main engine, called Merlin, was developed internally at SpaceX, but draws upon a long heritage of space proven engines. The pintle style injector at the heart of Merlin was first used in the Apollo Moon program for the lunar module landing engine.- Propellant is fed via a single shaft, dual impeller turbo-pump operating on a gas generator cycle. The turbo-pump also provides the high pressure kerosene for the hydraulic actuators which then recycles into the low pressure inlet. This eliminates the need for a separate hydraulic power system and means that thrust vector control failure by running out of hydraulic fluid is not possible. A third use of the turbo-pump is to provide roll control by actuating the turbine exhaust nozzle (on the second stage engine). Characteristics/capabilities include:- Length: 180 ft, Width: 12 ft - Mass (to low Earth orbit, 17.1 ft fairing): 735,000 lbs - Mass (to geosynchronous transfer orbit, 17.1 ft fairing): 733,800 lbs - Thrust (vacuum): 1,110,000 lbs

Cygnus Advanced Maneuvering Spacecraft - Page 1 of 2 Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital), founded in 1982, specializes in satellite launch and manufacture. Products include: space launch vehicles, missile defense systems, satellites and related systems, advanced space systems, and space technical services. Its headquarters is located in Loudoun County, VA. Orbital is developing the new Antares launch vehicle and Cygnus spacecraft initially for the COTS development and demonstration program. Orbital will also use Cygnus to perform the ISS resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Service contract. In December 23, 2008, NASA authorized the contract for eight missions between 2011 and 2015 carrying approximately 44,092 lbs of cargo to the ISS as well as disposal of ISS waste.

Cygnus is a 10.1 ft in diameter spacecraft with two basic components: the Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) and the Service Module (SM). The PCM is designed to transport the cargo that includes equipment, spare parts, scientific experiments and other items to the ISS. - It is based on the ISS Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and built by Thales Alenia Space Italia. The SM is manufactured by Orbital and based on their STAR spacecraft bus as well as components from the development of the Dawn spacecraft. - Propulsion will be provided by thrusters using the hypergolic propellants hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. - The two solar arrays will be capable of producing up to 4 KW of electrical power. Cygnus does not provide return capability but can be loaded with obsolete equipment and trash for destructive reentry similar to the Russian Progress vehicles.- A formally planned variant of Cygnus would have replaced the PCM with an unpressurized cargo module based on NASA's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier and could have been used to transport unpressurized cargo such as ISS Orbital Replacement Units.

Cygnus Advanced Maneuvering Spacecraft - Page 2 of 2 Information/characteristics/capabilities include:- Service Module -- Design, integration and test performed by Orbital-- Heritage: STAR Bus, GEOStar, LEOStar-- Power Generation: 2 solar arrays-- Power Output: 3.5 KW (sun-pointed)-- Propellant: Dual-mode N2H4/MON-3 or N2H4

- Pressurized Cargo Module -- Design, integration and test performed by Thales Alenia Space Italia (sub-contractor)-- Heritage: ISS Multi-Purpose Logistics Module-- Total Cargo Mass: 4,400 lbs (standard); 6,000 lbs (enhanced)-- Pressurized Volume: 667 cubic ft/925 cubic ft-- Berthing at ISS: Node 2 Common Berthing Mechanism

Antares Launch Vehicle Antares - The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, part of the Wallops Flight Facility, VA, is the initial launch site for Antares, known during development as Taurus II. Launch pad 0A, the former launch pad for the Conestoga rocket has being modified to handle Antares. - The launch vehicle is also compatible with the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kodiak Launch Complex. First Stage - Uses RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants, powering two NK-33-derived engines (supplied by Aerojet as AJ-26 engines). - In March 2010, Orbital Sciences and Aerojet successfully completed test firings of the NK-33 engines.- Since Orbital Sciences has little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, some of the first stage was contracted to Yuzhnoye SDO, designers of the Zenit series. - The core tank assembly is provided by Yuzhnoye and includes: propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware. Second Stage - Comprised of the ATK Castor 30 solid stage with electromechanical thrust vector control. - It has been developed by ATK as a derivative of the Castor 120. On December 10, 2009, ATK test fired their Castor 30 motor for use as the Antares second stage. Characteristics/capabilities include:- Payload capacity to low Earth orbit: 11,000 lbs - 12.8 diameter payload fairing, and first and second stages- Height: 133 ft - Mass: 530,000 lbs

Commercial Crew Development - Page 1 of 5 CCDev 1 NASA awarded $50 million through funded agreements to further the commercial sector’s capability to support transport of crew to and from low Earth orbit. President Obama asked NASA to partner with the aerospace industry in a fundamentally new way, making commercially provided services the primary mode of astronaut transportation to the ISS.- Through an open competition for funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NASA awarded Space Act Agreements to the five firms. The Space Act Agreements were designed to foster entrepreneurial activity leading to high-technology job growth in engineering, analysis, design and research, and to promote economic growth.-- All Space Act Agreements were designed to partially fund the development of system concepts, key technologies, and capabilities that could ultimately be used in commercial crew human space transportation systems. -- The selected teams also proposed matching funds from other sources that would leverage the taxpayer investment. The five companies and how they were expected to spend the CCDEV 1 investment are: 1.) The Sierra Nevada Corporation’s investment ($20M) supports the development of a human-rated spacecraft vehicle that is fully reusable, pressurized, and capable of transporting humans to low Earth orbit and return to Earth along a 1.5g glide path and land horizontally. “Dream Chaser” had already undergone 6 years of design maturity using the Company's internal research and development funding and previous NASA funding. - SNC has a 45 year tradition of developing and providing high technology electronics, avionics, and communications systems.

CCDev 1 (Continued)2.) The Boeing Company’s investment ($18M) accelerated their Commercial Crew Vehicle design through Systems Design Review milestone as well as conducting technology and manufacturing demonstrations. This design was previously proposed for the COTS through the Systems Requirements Review level. - As part of the Boeing CCDev team, Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace provided requirements for crew transportation to support its planned Orbital Space Complex (orbital habitats), as well as additional investment and expertise in testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy the complex.3.) Blue Origin’s investment ($3.7M) supported selected risk mitigation activities related to the development of: 1) a "pusher" launch escape system, which increases flight safety and lowers operating costs; and 2) a composite crew test module, which lowers capsule weight and improves damage tolerance. - Blue Origin is a privately-funded aerospace company organized by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. Initially focused on sub-orbital spaceflight, the company has built and flown a test-bed of its New Shepard spacecraft design at their Culberson County, TX facility. Blue Origin is developing a sub-orbital space vehicle that will take off and land vertically and carry three or more astronauts to the edge of space. The spacecraft is based on technology that was used for the McDonnell Douglas DC-X and derivative DC-XA.

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CCDev 1 (Continued)4.) Paragon Space Development’s investment ($1.44) is developing an "Air Revitalization System," a long lead component of the life support subsystem which is integral to the development of a human-rated life support thermal control system.- Paragon Space Development Corporation was founded in 1993 by a team of engineers and Biosphere 2 crewmembers, Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter. A full-service aerospace engineering and technology development firm, Paragon is a major supplier of the Environmental Control and Life Support System, and subsystem design for the aerospace industry. 5.) United Launch Alliance’s investment ($6.7M) supported on-going human-rating studies and analyses to develop and demonstrate a Launch Vehicle Emergency Detection System that responds in real time to dynamically evolving conditions and provides reliable indication of an impending catastrophic condition.- United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. Launch customers include both the Department of Defense and NASA, as well as other organizations. ULA products include the following launch vehicles: Atlas V, Delta II, and Delta IV.

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CCDev 2 The goal of the NASA CCDev Program is to have a human-capable certified spacecraft flying by the middle of the decade. - The selection was based on how far the awards would move the companies toward their goals and the business plans of each project.- The space shuttle fleet will be retired the summer of 2011 and NASA is counting on a new commercially developed spacecraft to take over the work of carrying astronauts into low Earth orbit. -- The agency also is hoping to save on development and operational costs by partnering with the commercial industry.- As the four companies continue their development plans under the agreement guidelines, the next step for NASA is to refine the strategy for the next round of development. For the second round of agreements, the four proposals selected were:- 1.) Blue Origin ($22M): It plans to use its funds to accelerate work toward a full-up end-to-end system, including advancing the design of the space vehicle completing key system trade studies, designing the thermal protection system, defining the capsule’s biconic shape, and generating baseline definition architecture and system requirements.- 2.) Sierra Nevada Corporation ($80M): The company plans to use the funding to reach preliminary design review for the orbital vehicle and atmospheric drop tests of the engineering test article that has undergone structural testing. The power for Dream Chaser is provided by the same hybrid propulsion technology used on the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplanes, with a runway landing under the control of a pilot or autopilot.

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CCDev 2 (Continued)- 3.) Space Exploration Technologies ($75M): SpaceX plans to use the award to speed development of its side-mounted pusher-type launch abort system including static testing. It is also preparing the initial Dragon design for crew accommodation and evaluation by NASA astronauts.- 4.) The Boeing Company ($92.3M): Boeing has built a CST-100 capsule pressure test article. Machined from two pieces of aluminum for strength, the article is a pathfinder for a second version that will be built of lighter-weight 7075 aluminum alloy under the CCDev 2 funding. The award will also include: -- Evaluation of a lighter-weight engine for its pusher-type launch abort system.-- Parachute and airbag-inflation systems for water landing tests.-- Full-scale tests of the pyrotechnics that will separate the CST-100 capsule from the service module prior to re-entry.

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Commercial Crew Development - Blue Origin The New Shepard vehicle will consist of a pressurized Crew Capsule (CC) carrying experiments and astronauts atop the Propulsion Module (PM). Flights will take place from Blue Origin’s own launch site which is already operating in West Texas. - The PM will take-off vertically and accelerate for approximately two and a half minutes before shutting off its rocket engines and coasting into space. - The vehicle will carry rocket motors enabling the CC to escape from the PM in the event of a serious anomaly during launch. -- The CC would then land softly under a parachute at the launch site.- In space, the CC will separate from the PM and the two will re-enter the atmosphere and land separately for re-use. -- The PM will re-enter vertically re-starting its engines for a powered landing while the CC would land using a parachute.--- Astronauts and experiments will experience no more than 6 g acceleration into their seats and a 1.5 g lateral acceleration during a typical flight. ---- High-quality microgravity environments (<10-3 g) will be achieved for durations of 3 or more minutes depending on the mission’s trajectory.- A sub-scale demonstration vehicle made its first flight on November 13, 2006.

If a DC-X type craft had been developed that operated in Earth's gravity, even with a minimum 4-6 crew capacity, variants of it might be used for both Mars and moon missions. --- The variant's basic operation would have to be reversed; from taking off and then landing, to landing first then taking off. --- If this could be accomplished on Earth, the weaker gravity found at both Mars and the Moon would make for dramatically greater payload capabilities.