Ball Aerospace and Technologies has been selected as the prime contractor by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center for the Space Test Program's Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV).
The goal of the STP-SIV program is to increase the flexibility and reduce the cost of small satellites, complementing similar efforts underway with small launch vehicles.
Ball Aerospace, with teammates AeroAstro and Broad Reach Engineering, will build a small spacecraft with a non-proprietary standardized payload-to-experiment interface. The first space vehicle contract is valued at $26M, with options for up to five additional spacecraft.
The Space Test Program, managed by the Space & Missile Center, Detachment 12, at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, has launched over 400 space technology experiments in the past 40 years.
"It is a privilege to be a part of this important and long standing program and we look forward to contributing to the continued success of the Space Test Program," said Ball Aerospace President and CEO, David L. Taylor.
