NASA Awards Aerospace Propulsion, Communications Research Contracts

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NASA has awarded contracts to 13 companies to provide advanced propulsion and communications system technologies as part of ongoing long-term aerospace research activities at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The selected companies are:

• GE Aviation, Cincinnati
• United Technologies Corporation, East Hartford, Connecticut
• Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Indianapolis
• Williams International, Walled Lake, Michigan
• Aerojet Rocketdyne of DE, Inc., Canoga Park, California
• Orbital Technologies Corporation, Madison, Wisconsin
• The Boeing Company, St. Louis
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Redondo Beach, California
• Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Elkton, Maryland
• Sierra Lobo, Inc., Fremont, Ohio
• General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Arizona
• John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland
• MTI Systems, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland

Each of the 13 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts provide for fixed price, cost share and cost reimbursement competitive tasks with a cumulative maximum value of $190 million over the next five years. Each contract will have a minimum value of $30,000.

The contractors will develop, demonstrate and verify advanced technologies that support key challenges in the areas of communications, structures and materials, power, propulsion systems for aeronautics vehicles, and propulsion and communications systems for space missions and vehicles.

Included in those challenges are high power density engine turbomachinery; advanced combustors and alternative fuels; low noise propulsion; variable, combined and hybrid engine systems; engine icing; instrumentation, sensors, controls and intelligent systems; electric propulsion, rocket-based, combined cycle propulsion systems; communication components and subsystem development; disruptive tolerant networking; and flight and ground communication terminals.

For more information about NASA’s Glenn Research Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov