March 27, 2006<br /><br />Dolores Beasley/Michael Braukus <br />Headquarters, Washington <br />Phone: (202) 358-1753/1979 <br /><br />Kelly Humphries <br />Johnson Space Center, Houston <br />Phone: (281) 483-5111 <br /><br />CONTRACT RELEASE: C06-017<br /><br />NASA EXTENDS CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE CONTRACTS<br /><br />NASA has authorized contract extensions for development of the <br />agency's new Crew Exploration Vehicle. <br /><br />The companies, Lockheed Martin Corp., and a team of Northrop Grumman <br />Systems Corp., and The Boeing Co., were selected as CEV Phase 1 <br />contractors in June 2005. They have been working with NASA to define <br />requirements and develop conceptual designs for the agency's <br />next-generation vehicle for human space flight. <br /><br />The estimated maximum total value for each Phase 1 contract, including <br />the extension to Aug. 31 and the optional extension periods, is <br />approximately $60 million for each contractor. The approximate value <br />of the basic extension period from March 31 to Aug. 31 is $17.5 <br />million for each contractor; the approximate value of each two-month <br />option is $7 million. <br /><br />One of the Phase 1 contractors will be selected as the Phase 2 prime <br />contractor to design, develop, test, evaluate and produce the CEV. <br />Although the new contract authorizations include options that could <br />extend the Phase 1 work until December, NASA expects to select the <br />Phase 2 prime contractor by August. <br /><br />The new contract extends Phase 1 work from March 31 until Aug. 31 and <br />adds options for a pair of two-month extensions for each contractor. <br />The first two-month option would extend Phase 1 work to Oct. 31, <br />2006. The second two-month option would extend Phase 1 work to Dec. <br />31. 2006. <br /><br />The new spacecraft is expected to carry up to six astronauts into <br />Earth orbit soon after the space shuttle is retired in 2010 and then <br />on to the moon by 2018. The Crew Exploration Vehicle is a key element <br />of the Vision for Space Exploration, which returns human explorers to <br />the moon, Mars, and beyond. <br /><br />For information about NASA's exploration programs on the Web, visit: <br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/exploration <br /><br /><br /><br />For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: <br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/home