Boeing

The Boeing Company today announced Rick Stephens will lead its bid to consolidate NASA's space operations elements under one contractor.

As Boeing Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC) vice president and program director, Stephens will direct both the company's current CSOC Phase 1 work as well as its proposal effort for CSOC Phase 2. He will report to Bob Minor, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space Operations and Utilization Support.

"Rick Stephens is a results-oriented leader who brings to CSOC a keen understanding of the requirements of this demanding and vital consolidation opportunity," Minor said. "His innovative thinking, broad managerial experience and sound judgement make him well suited to lead this revolution of NASA's space operations elements in today's 'faster, better, cheaper' environment. I am confident he will lead our nation into a new era of more cost-efficient, robust and safe space operations."

Under CSOC Phase 1 -- a $4 million study awarded in May -- Boeing is developing an integrated operations architecture that is exploring the feasibility of shifting responsibility for various NASA space operations to one contractor to reduce costs and free up funding for other NASA projects. The company is addressing the total NASA space operations infrastructure, including all space operations elements currently managed by multiple contractors and NASA centers. The scope of the current phase includes development of processes, physical architectures, products, standard services and integration of spacecraft/launch vehicle design and operations that will assure minimal life cycle costs.

CSOC Phase 2 is a 10-year (5-year basic period with a 5-year priced option) $4-6 billion program to implement a ground systems architecture and provide mission and data services to NASA's spacecraft projects and programs. Additionally, the Phase 2 CSOC services contractor will manage and operate the ground and space-based infrastructure required to provide NASA's mission and data services, including more than 100 existing and planned spacecraft such as the Earth Observing System environmental monitoring satellites and the current fleet of seven Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). The Phase 2 contractor will be a key participant with NASA in implementing agency-wide space operations efficiency measures. Contract award is anticipated in early 1998.

Stephens joined the former Boeing Autonetics Strategic Systems Division in 1980 and progressed through a series of engineering and program management positions supporting the Peacekeeper and Small ICBM programs. In 1989, he was promoted to vice president of Battlefield Weapons for the company's former Tactical Systems Division (TSD), Duluth, Ga., and in 1993 was named TSD vice president and general manager. In 1995, he was appointed executive vice president, Guidance, Navigation and Sensors (formerly Autonetics and Missile Systems Division), a position he held until his current assignment. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Southern California and a master of science degree in computer science from California State University, Fullerton.

Stephens leads a Boeing team that includes the company's Systems Development Center, Seal Beach, Calif.; Reusable Space Systems, Downey, Calif.; Space Operations and Utilization Support, Houston, Texas and Huntsville, Ala.; Boeing Information Services, Vienna, Va.; Lucent Technologies, Greensboro, N.C.; KPMG, Houston, Texas; SAIC, Inc., San Diego, Calif.; and PRC, McLean, Va.