NASA Awards New Contracts to Commercial Flight Providers

NASA has selected 15 companies to provide flight and payload integration services for technology payloads aboard vehicles that provide access to high altitude, reduced gravity, or other relevant environments required to test the technologies and advance their readiness. The types of platforms that will be used to test payloads include suborbital rocket-powered vehicles, high-altitude balloons, and orbital platforms that can host payloads. In addition, approved vendors with suborbital vehicles capable of supporting human flight may provide flights for Government Suborbital Research Specialists.*

The contracts will be managed by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, in collaboration with the Small Spacecraft Technology program, both part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. These programs support disruptive technology development and unique missions to change the pace of space exploration, discovery, and space commerce.

The flights and other services covered by these contracts are for use by NASA and other government agencies. These awards replace current contracts for existing flight test services and can be utilized for flight tests of payloads developed by both government researchers as well as external researchers that the government is supporting.

The following companies have been awarded contracts to provide services through demonstrated commercial capabilities.

Suborbital Rocket-Powered Vehicles

These vehicles include both suborbital launch vehicles that reach high altitudes and may include periods of microgravity, as well as lander vehicles that specialize in testing entry, descent, and landing technologies.

• Astrobotic Technology Inc.
• Blue Origin Texas, LLC
• Galactic Enterprises, LLC
• Rocket Lab USA Inc.

High-Altitude Balloons

Large balloon systems can reach an altitude of up to approximately 100,000 feet (or 30 kilometers) and also typically sustain the longest duration of the suborbital vehicles – hours, days, or even weeks at a time.

• Aerostar International, Inc.
• Angstrom Designs Inc.
• Near Space Corp
• World View Enterprises Inc.

Orbital Platforms

These platforms include small spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicle stages, or orbital spacecraft that can host payloads and perform at least one orbit around the Earth. Platforms provide power and communications to their hosted payloads.

• Astro Digital US Inc.
• Loft Orbital Federal, LLC
• Momentus Space LLC
• Rocket Lab USA Inc.
• Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
• Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc.
• Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc.
• Varda Space Industries, Inc.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jimi Russell | 216-433-2894 | james.j.russell@nasa.gov

^* Currently, Blue Origin Texas, LLC and Galactic Enterprises, LLC are participating in a NASA safety case assessment to evaluate the possibility of their vehicles to fly Government Suborbital Research Specialists.

NASA’s Microgravity Flight Services Contract

NASA also has a contract with Zero Gravity Corporation, which provides flights that achieve brief periods of reduced gravity through a series of maneuvers called parabolas. Parabolic flights can be used to test technologies that need to operate in reduced gravity.

For More Information

Read the NASA release for more details on new awards for the NASA-contracted flight providers mentioned above.

For more information about commercial flight providers who have previously flown with the Flight Opportunities program, or who have been a part of selected TechFlights proposals, please visit the Participating Flight Providers page.

For questions about testing technologies through the Flight Opportunities program or other inquiries, please email nasa-flightopportunities@mail.nasa.gov.