Competition For Space Cargo Bids Heats Up

A few companies this month confirmed their plans to develop cargo spacecraft for this year's round of bids for NASA contracts to service the International Space Station, according to a Washington Post report.On Tuesday, Sierra Nevada Corp. announced a version of its manned reusable vehicle, modified for cargo missions. The Dream Chaser Cargo System will feature a folding-wing design and the ability to make a runway landing. It "provides unrivaled capability for pressurized and unpressurized cargo transportation, including accelerated return of cargo and critical science on every mission," the company stated.

Lockheed Martinunveileda design that will be able to carry not just supplies and equipment, but astronauts on future exploration missions. Lockheed's bid package includes Jupiter, a reusable space vehicle, a large cargo container called the Exoliner, and a robotic arm that draws on technology used on the space station and NASA's space shuttles."Jupiter and the Exoliner cargo carrier can be pre-positioned with supplies of food, fuel, water and equipment for astronauts to use as they travel on manned missions farther into space than ever before," Lockheed said in its announcement.NASA has current contracts with SpaceX and Orbital ATK for transporting supplies to the space station, and in June is expected to award another that could be worth several billion dollars, according the Post's report on Lockheed Martin. The variety of contenders that continue to offer up their spaceflight innovations — from smaller and younger companies to mega-defense contractors — point to a growing competitive market for the industry, the Post reported.