Posted: Tue, Nov 9, 2004, 10:07 AM ET (1507 GMT)
Northrop Grumman and Boeing announced Tuesday that the two companies will work together to design a critical component of NASA's new exploration vision. The two companies, which had previously been working separately on designs for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), will now merge those efforts into a single program. Under the agreement Northrop will serve as the prime contractor and Boeing as the major subcontractor for "Spiral 1" of the CEV design, which calls for the development of a vehicle to carry crews to and from low Earth orbit. The companies will switch roles for Spiral 2, which will focus on transportation to and from the Moon. The Northrop/Boeing team will most likely compete against Lockheed Martin for the DEV contract, which may not be awarded for several years: NASA officials have previously stated that they are planning a "flyoff" of two CEV designs in 2008, after which NASA will choose one for full development. Unmanned test flights of that CEV design are scheduled for 2011, with human flights beginning no later than 2014. That schedule is dependent on full funding of the program by Congress; initial versions of NASA's 2005 budget in the House and Senate have made significant cuts in the CEV program.
