NASA has released the selection statement that lays out the space agency’s reasoning for awarding Nanoracks, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman a total of $415.6 million to develop plans for private space stations under the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program. The facilities are designed to maintain a permanent U.S. presence in Earth orbit when the International Space Station (ISS) is retired in 2030.

In this story, we’ll look at the Northrop Grumman’s station. The project summary is drawn from publicly available information. Excerpts from the selection statement follow. Long paragraphs in the latter have been broken up to improve readability. Acronyms have been spelled out for the sake of clarity.

Four upcoming launches in the United States, Russia and New Zealand feature payloads to refuel a communications satellite, study space weather, expand SpaceX’s Starlink network, and test out new technology. October 9 Proton Payloads: Eutelsat 5 West B communications satellite, Mission Extension Vehicle 1 (MEV 1) Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Launch Time: 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 GMT ) This is the first flight of the MEV, which will refuel […]

WASHINGTON, DC (NASA PR) — A first-of-its-kind spacecraft to extend another satellite’s life will be launched into orbit soon thanks in part to a partnership between Northrop Grumman and NASA. The spacecraft is called the Mission Extension Vehicle, or MEV, and its primary purpose is to extend the life of commercial satellites that are currently in a geostationary orbit around Earth.

The spacecraft was developed by Northrop Grumman for its wholly owned subsidiary Space Logistics LLC, with some technical assistance from NASA through a no-funds exchanged NASA partnership called Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities.

Four members of Congress have sent letters to DARPA asking the defense agency to review a satellite servicing program they believe duplicates other efforts by a commercial company and NASA.

“We are concerned that DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellite (RSGS) program is duplicating commercial investment and capability in violation of National Space Policy and contrary to the best interests of taxpayers,” reads one letter signed by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA).

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