NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 Contract

NASA News Releases <hqnews@xxxxxxxx> · Fri, 11 Dec 2020 22:30:34 +0000 (UTC)

December 11, 2020 
CONTRACT RELEASE C20-031
NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 Contract

NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) has awarded multiple Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contracts to launch small satellites (SmallSats) to space, including CubeSats, microsats or nanosatellites. The three companies selected to provide these commercial launch capabilities, and the value of their firm fixed-price contracts, are:

Astra Space Inc. of Alameda, California: $3.9 million
	Relativity Space Inc. of Long Beach, California: $3.0 million
	Firefly Black LLC of Cedar Park, Texas: $9.8 million

SmallSats, including CubeSats, are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research, and educational investigations at NASA. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA missions.

LSP supports the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing launch opportunities to CubeSats that are awaiting launch. The VCLS Demo 2 contracts will launch CubeSats selected through the CSLI to demonstrate a launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science missions.

The Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has partnered with LSP to fund the VCLS Demo 2 contracts. These VCLS Demo 2 launches of small satellites can tolerate a higher level of risk than larger missions and will demonstrate – and help mitigate – risks associated with the use of new launch vehicles providing access to space for future small spacecraft and missions.

For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html

For more information about NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html

-end-

Press Contacts

Joshua Finch

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@xxxxxxxx

Patti Bielling

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-501-7575
patricia.a.bielling@xxxxxxxx

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	December 11, 2020 CONTRACT RELEASE C20-031 NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 Contract NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) has awarded multiple Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contracts to launch small satellites (SmallSats) to space, including CubeSats, microsats or nanosatellites. The three companies selected to provide these commercial launch capabilities, and the value of their firm fixed-price contracts, are: Astra Space Inc. of Alameda, California: $3.9 million Relativity Space Inc. of Long Beach, California: $3.0 million Firefly Black LLC of Cedar Park, Texas: $9.8 million SmallSats, including CubeSats, are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research, and educational investigations at NASA. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA missions. LSP supports the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing launch opportunities to CubeSats that are awaiting launch. The VCLS Demo 2 contracts will launch CubeSats selected through the CSLI to demonstrate a launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science missions. The Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has partnered with LSP to fund the VCLS Demo 2 contracts. These VCLS Demo 2 launches of small satellites can tolerate a higher level of risk than larger missions and will demonstrate – and help mitigate – risks associated with the use of new launch vehicles providing access to space for future small spacecraft and missions. For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html For more information about NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html -end-
	Press Contacts Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@xxxxxxxx Patti Bielling Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-501-7575 patricia.a.bielling@xxxxxxxx
	NASA news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to hqnews-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe from the list, send an e-mail message with the subject line unsubscribe to hqnews-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.