Small-satellite firm AeroAstro said on Thursday that it will design and build the spacecraft bus and provide integration, launch and mission operations services for Ball Aerospace and Technologies under a six-year contract.
Ball Aerospace, of Boulder, Colo., along with AeroAstro, recently were awarded the Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) contract for the U.S. Air Force. The contract has a potential value of $110 million.
"This award, combined with our role as prime contractor for STPSat-1, reaffirms AeroAstro's position as a pre-eminent ESPA-class microsatellite manufacturer," said Pat David, the company's executive vice president and general manager for space operations. "We look forward to continuing our ongoing relationship with the Space Test Program, and to working with Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. on STP-SIV, which will simplify and accelerate access to space for critical new technologies."
The Air Force IDIQ contract – for Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity – covers up to six small satellites to fly future space experiments. The initial award calls for one spacecraft with a standard payload interface, integration and testing of one or more experiments onto the vehicle, launch integration and technical support for at least one year of mission operations, AeroAstro said in a statement. The spacecraft will be designed to fly in low Earth orbit at a wide range of inclinations with a minimum one-year operating lifetime.
The proposed STP-SIV spacecraft bus will be derived largely from AeroAstro's STPSat-1 space vehicle, which is manifested on the first ESPA launch later this year. The innovative design includes a separable Payload Standard Interface Module that could be integrated in parallel with the bus to support accelerated launch schedules and reduce technical risk.
The STP-SIV program is intended to increase the flexibility and reduce the cost of launching small satellites, complementing similar efforts underway with small launch vehicles. The Space Test Program is managed by the Space and Missile Center, Detachment 12, at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The program has launched more than 400 space technology experiments over the past 40 years.
