Boeing

The Boeing Company today announced its expanded team for the competition to consolidate NASA's space operations. The team melds the expertise of four of the world's leading commercial aerospace, communications and software companies with a cadre of small, medium and large firms known for their innovation.

Working together with Boeing in pursuit of Phase 2 of NASA's Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC) are communications satellite leader Hughes Space and Communications Co., El Segundo, Calif.; communications networking and technology leader Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, N.J.; and Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash., the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. They will be assisted by software management expert Science Applications International Corp., Torrance, Calif.; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) operations expert Litton PRC, Reston, Va.; and reengineering and commercialization professionals from KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, Houston.

Several innovative small and small disadvantaged businesses will also perform mission planning and operations, maintenance, training and engineering work: Barrios Technology, Inc., Houston; Colsa Corp., Huntsville, Ala., Johnson Engineering Corp., Webster, Texas; SpaceTec, Inc., Hampton, Va.; Universal Space Network, Horsham, Penn.; and VTEX International, Inc., Greenbelt, Md.

"Boeing has combined its traditional strengths--detailed customer knowledge, space operations expertise, large-scale systems integration and lean, efficient production systems--with the commercial savvy of these world-class, strategically aligned companies renowned for their leadership, innovation and commercial focus," said Rick Stephens, Boeing CSOC vice president and program director. "The team, anchored by commercial giants Boeing, Hughes, Lucent and Microsoft, complemented by Litton PRC, SAIC and KPMG and supported by these innovative small/small disadvantaged businesses, provides NASA with unsurpassed expertise to seamlessly integrate all elements of the CSOC mission. This is the team that can best work with NASA to develop and implement an innovative approach to space operations consolidation; one that can achieve significant, near-term savings in support of NASA's mission for the 21st century."

Hughes will apply commercial communications spacecraft expertise to systems engineering and integration of CSOC space communications elements ranging from NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites to commercial satellite operations opportunities.

Lucent's depth and breadth of advanced communications technology, commercial ground network operations and management expertise and unparalleled heritage in commercial market research and development will permit NASA to increase reliability, improve quality of service and lower data services costs by using commercially available products and services.

Microsoft brings its advanced technology and commercial applications tools to facilitate the collection, distribution and processing of data among five diverse NASA centers and package it for easy access by scientists and other users. Early insight into new Microsoft products will allow the Boeing team to leverage applications relevant to CSOC.

Other team member contributions are equally varied. Litton PRC brings to the Boeing CSOC team detailed knowledge of the missions and operations of NASA JPL. SAIC will provide expertise in software management, interfacing with science users and information security. KPMG Consulting will contribute experience in reengineering large information-intensive organizations, commercialization and privatization and full-cost accounting. And the various small and small disadvantaged businesses, which are responsible for one-quarter of the team's work, bring their unique capabilities in mission planning, operations, maintenance, training and engineering competency and innovation to the mix.

Under CSOC Phase 1, Boeing is developing an integrated operations architecture to explore 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 elements currently managed autonomously by multiple contractors and five major NASA centers (Johnson Space Center, Houston; Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Ala.; and JPL, Pasadena, Calif.). The scope of the current phase includes development of processes, physical architectures, products, standard services and the integration of spacecraft/launch vehicle design and operations that will achieve minimal life cycle costs.

In mid 1998, NASA will award one company a 10-year (5-years with a 5-year priced option) multibillion dollar Phase 2 contract to implement a ground systems architecture and space-based infrastructure to provide mission and data services to more than 100 existing and planned NASA spacecraft, while simultaneously lowering the cost of space operations.