Four Companies Picked for Advanced Booster Studies

摘要

Four companies will split $200 million in NASA funds to study concepts for the side-mounted boosters needed to power future configurations of the planned heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), the U.S. space agency said July 13. The selected companies will now begin contract negotiations with NASA the agency said in a press release. Awards for the 30-month study contracts are due in October, said NASA spokeswoman Kim Henry. NASA will use the results of the studies it funds to develop a solicitation for the next-generation SLS booster system. That solicitation is due out in 2015, according to NASA's press release.