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Response to Request for Information for Commercial Space Transportation Services

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Response to Request for Information for Commercial Space Transportation Services ATLS-07-10416 RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES September 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................................................1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................................2 1. ISS REQUIREMENTS.................................................................................................................................................5 1.1 CARGO DELIVERY AND RETURN / DISPOSAL CAPABILITY .................................................................5 1.2 RENDEZVOUS, PROXIMITY OPERATIONS AND ON ORBIT ATTACHED OPERATIONS.....................5 1.3 LAUNCH AND ON ORBIT SUPPORT SERVICES ........................................................................................6 2. FUTURE PAYLOAD TO ORBIT REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................9 3. SPECIFIC NASA-REQUESTED INFORMATION ...................................................................................................12 3.1 COMPANY INFORMATION...........................................................................................................................12 3.2 ISS CARGO / RE-SUPPLY TRANSPORATION SERVICES CAPABILITY...............................................14 3.3 SAFETY, PROGRAMMATIC, AND TECHNICAL RISK ..............................................................................15 3.4 ACQUISITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS .................................................................................................17 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY United Launch Alliance is pleased to provide this response to the Request for Information for Commercial Space Transportation Services. We are committed to work with NASA to ensure our nation’s ability to safely, reliably, and af- fordably service the ISS and deliver critical science payloads. Specifically, we recommend that: • NASA pursue an Acquisition Strategy that includes multi-year procurement of launch services. This will provide the most affordable launch solution for NASA while preserving competition for new entrants. A multi-year pro- curement would allow: - Firm launch service orders to establish a credible business case so private industry can invest and bid af- fordably. - Stability for the industrial base and more favorable pricing. - Flexibility to consider new service providers as they become certified. • NASA procure launch services separately from transfer vehicles and perform the end-to-end service integration in order to provide the best value, reliability, flexibility, insight and control to NASA. Separated Launch Services and Transfer Vehicle contracts will: - Provide NASA with the maximum manifest and integration flexibility between launch vehicles and transfer vehicles to optimize ISS operations. - Allow use of NASA’s proven LV Certification and Mission Assurance practices that have led to 100% launch vehicle success. - Allow use of proven contractual terms and conditions for commercial launch services. Unique terms and conditions for transfer vehicles should be developed independently. - Accommodate certification of emerging launch and transfer vehicle providers and the subsequent contrac- tual on-ramping of the new entrants. - Enable ISS Cargo missions to be combined together with other NASA launches (SMD, TDRS, GOES, etc) for maximum order-quantity discounting. - Maintain NASA expertise in end-to-end integration of ISS Cargo acquisition and delivery services and main- tains critical skills in the Shuttle to Orion transition gap. • NASA's current launch service policies regarding risk mitigation and insight have proven effective and should be retained: - Focus on proven vehicles, launch operations, and mission integration experience has resulted in 100% mis- sion success across all payload classes. - NASA-managed launch services currently exist that are compatible with all existing transfer vehicles (includ- ing ATV, HTV and Progress) as well as all conceptual transfer vehicles currently in design for expendable launch - Complementary systems engineering process and in-line participation of experienced NASA personnel in launch vehicle activities provides the highest level of insight and lowest risk Medium Class Intermediate – Heavy Class Delta II Delta IV Atlas V Delta IV Heavy Figure 1: United Launch Alliance provides flight-proven launch vehicles with demonstrated performance, reliability and schedule assurance 1 OVERVIEW United Launch Alliance (ULA) is pleased to respond to the Request for Information for Commercial Space Transpor- tation Services. This response continues ULA’s commitment to NASA to provide proven, flight certified launch ser- vices of unmatched reliability. ULA was created to provide reliable, cost-efficient spacecraft launch services for the United States Government. The 50 years of Atlas and Delta heritage embodied within ULA includes over 1,270 flights. ULA also represents a combined commercial investment in expendable launch vehicle design, test and development of over $5B within the last decade, along with a similar investment by the U.S. Government. This investment re- sulted in the proven, reliable and versatile families of Atlas and Delta expendable launch vehicles. ULA launch vehi- cles provide the Government and Commercial customers the widest range of configurations and accommodations matching virtually any size of payload to nearly all space deployment requirements. Although ULA is not in a position to provide the full range of capabilities needed to support the end to end ISS re- supply and cargo return service, it is a “Merchant Supplier” and is able to provide launch services directly to NASA or to other entities in support of NASA’s ISS mission. ULA SUPPORTS COMMERCIAL ISS CARGO TRANSPORTATION NEEDS The United States aerospace and launch industrial base has the capability to supply the International Space Station (ISS) following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010. The transition of the ISS Cargo resupply services to the commercial sector is extremely beneficial for the U.S. space industry as it includes all the activities associated with ISS cargo missions including manifesting, packaging, integrating onto a Transfer Vehicle and launch operations. This will provide high technology, good paying jobs to US workers, further U.S. space innovation, and launch vehicle production and assembly. Therefore, ULA supports requirements for U.S. produced ULA offers wide range of proven capabilities launch vehicles that are launched from U.S. launch sites • Proven, technically qualified, low risk launch solutions to be incorporated into the COTS Phase 2 competitive • Established vendor offering schedule and manifest flexibility RFP. The use of domestic launch for ISS transportation • NASA certified Atlas and Delta launch vehicles services should be in accordance with current U.S. Space • 100% mission success for NASA launch services Transportation Policy and NASA ELV Policy Directives. • Flexible payload accommodations for launch service customers This will serve to sustain and maintain the U.S. launch • Extensive experience with a broad range of commercial and industrial base and enable further economics of scale and government contract arrangements cost savings for not only launch vehicle Prime contractors, • Classified as a U.S. Commercial launch provider but also for critical suppliers of the launch and aerospace • Compatible with existing and planned transfer vehicles industry. • ULA member companies have significant ISS expertise Figure 2: ULA Launch Vehicles offer a broad range of capabilities to meet NASA mission needs 2 The Commercial Space Launch Act provides the framework for NASA to procure commercial launch services. While honoring the basic agreements to the ISS partners to supply the already agreed-upon launches of ATV and HTV, further reliance on foreign launch providers is not needed. While a domestic capability for ISS Cargo end-to-end ser- vices does not currently exist, existing domestic launch capability does exist that can successfully integrate and de- liver any ISS Transfer Vehicle (domestic or foreign supplied) to perform the full range of ISS Cargo missions. ULA stands ready to offer three launch vehicles families (Delta II, Delta IV and Atlas V) that are not only available, but that have achieved NASA flight certification to perform this critical mission. ULA RECOMMENDS SOLUTIONS FOR FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS A Defined Business Case for Investment with Preservation of Competition There are significant economies of scale to be achieved through larger economic order quantities. ULA therefore suggests that the procurement approach for NASA future launch requirements should balance the need to preserve and protect competition with the aggregation of firm requirements so competitors are able to substantiate a solid business plan and deliver an affordably priced service. At a minimum, NASA should consider combining annual launch procurements for science and ISS support missions into a single buy for each provider while reserving a lim- ited set of missions for potential future competition to protect for the scenario that new launch vehicle suppliers emerge. The subset of missions can be assigned as Contract options and ordered in the case that no new suppliers
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