In a deal that will help transform the Kennedy Space Center from a mainly government space launch complex to one that will also service commercial customers, NASA and Boeing have signed an agreement concerning the Orbital Processing Facility.
What is the agreement between Boeing and NASA?
Boeing has signed a 15 year lease for the Orbital Processing Facility (OPF-3) to manufacture and test its CST-100 spacecraft, which are being developed under NASA's commercial crew program to send astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. The deal will create 550 jobs at the Kennedy Space Center once commercial operations take place.
What is the Orbital Processing Facility?
The OPF, which is divided into three bays (OPF-1, OPF-2, and OPF-3) was used to process space shuttle orbiters. Almost immediately after an orbiter landed at the Kennedy Space Center, it would be towed to one of the bays at the OPF to remove fuel residues and previous payloads and to perform testing and refurbishing for the orbiter's next mission. OPF-3 will be converted for use by Boeing while the other two bays will be leased to other commercial customers.
What is the CST-100?
Boeing is developing a space capsule called the CST-100 under NASA's commercial crew program. The spacecraft will be capable of carrying up to seven astronauts or a mix of astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station or other destinations in low Earth orbit, such as the planned Bigelow private space station. The CST-100 will be capable of being launched on a variety of launch vehicles, including the Delta IV, the Atlas V, and the Falcon 9. The spacecraft will be capable of docking with the ISS within eight hours of launch. The time from undocking to landing will be about six hours. The CST-100 will be capable of landing on land, with a contingency water landing. The spacecraft can remain docked with the ISS up to 210 days.
Why is this deal important?
The deal furthers the goal, started during the Bush administration, but continued with a will by the Obama administration, of creating a commercial launch sector. With the end of the shuttle program and the beginning of Space Launch System launches at least six years away, adding commercial customers to the Kennedy Space Center is important to keep the space launch facility active and to create jobs and enhance the economy of south Florida, currently reeling from the end of the space shuttle program and by Obama's cancellation of the Constellation space exploration program.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.
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