NASA Holds Competition to Develop Space Vehicles

BlueCup writes to tell us that the US space agency is holding a competition to develop space vehicles NASA doesn't have the time or resources to develop. The winning companies will get $500 million and NASA will merely lease them as the need arises. From the article: "NASA hopes the private-sector vehicles can bridge an expected gap between when the space shuttle fleet is grounded in 2010 and the crew exploration vehicle is flying in 2014. A thriving commercial space transportation industry also can offer researchers, and others, opportunities to send payloads into space without relying on NASA's crowded space shuttle schedule or worrying 'that the government will decide next month or next year not to launch,' Griffin said."

Comments

I have a winner

[DoubleRing]

Oooh! I have a design I've been working on in the weekends, not that I'm an engineer or anything. If anyone had a link to where we can submit our designs...I'm sure I would win. Umm, they're not asking for a working prototype are they? So, when can I expect my 500 million?

Re:Great for a one shot vehicle...

[QuantumG]

I know it's hard for people to understand this, but spacecraft are not monolithic. You can design a space capsule and then launch it on any launcher that has a standard profile. Kinda like being about to run an application on any operating system, oh wait, no, hang on. Kinda like being able to use any razorblade in your razor. Ok, not a good example either. I know, kinda like being able to use any kind of tires on your car! Yes, that'll do.