from CNN.com

NASA seeks cargo flights to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) — With the space shuttles due to retire, NASA is looking for private companies interested in taking over the potentially lucrative business of flying cargo and crew to the international space station.

The U.S. space agency issued a solicitation for proposals on Tuesday for firms interested in handling delivery services now provided by the three shuttles, which are due to stop flying by 2010.

“Certainly this is an opportunity for the new space companies,” said Jim Banke, head of Florida operations for The Space Foundation industry trade association. “They’ve been lobbying NASA hard for something like this for years.”

NASA hopes to supplement, and eventually replace, crew and cargo flights to the space station that had been planned for the shuttle fleet.

The agency also may have to pare down the number of shuttle flights to the station even before they retire to pay for development of a new spacecraft.

In addition to flying to the station if no commercial providers are available, the new NASA ships are being designed to carry astronauts to the moon.

“We’re excited about this opportunity,” said Larry Williams, who handles international and government affairs for California-based Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, which plans its debut rocket launch this month.

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Musk is developing a series of launchers, called the Falcon, which, if successful, could significantly undercut the price routinely paid to aerospace giants Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., to send payloads into orbit.

Other start-up firms that have expressed interest in NASA’s space station business include t/Space, SpaceDev Inc., Constellation Services International, Inc., AirLaunch LLC, SPACEHAB Inc., Andrews Space Inc., Rocketplane Ltd., Universal Space Lines and Bigelow Aerospace, NASA’s procurement Web site shows.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which manufacture and sell the Delta and Atlas expendable launch vehicles, have kept any aspirations of becoming NASA’s space station truckers under wraps.

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Companies have until February 10 to submit proposals to NASA for its transport services. The agency expects to award one or more contracts in May.

NASA has allotted $500 million to pay for the initial phases of the program through 2010.

Meanwhile, the Russians are building their own next-gen space vehicle, the Clipper:

The six-person Clipper is designed to replace Russia’s three-person Soyuz capsule, which has been in operation since the 1960s and is currently the only reliable transport to the International Space Station. Lighter than NASA’s shuttle and more powerful than the Soyuz, the Clipper will be more than just a taxi to the ISS. Notes ESA official Manuel Valls, “It could go to the moon.”

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The 13-ton Clipper is nearly twice the weight of the Soyuz capsule and thus requires a stronger launcher. Russian engineers are considering several options, including the Ukrainian-built Zenit and a yet-to-be-developed Russian rocket called the Onega, which is essentially a beefed-up version of the Soyuz launcher.

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The 21-foot-long passenger cabin and reentry vehicle will accommodate six crew members (two pilots and four other astronauts or tourists), plus 1,100 pounds of cargo—more than 10 times that of the Soyuz.

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The craft’s exterior consists of heat-resistant ceramic panels designed to endure several flights before requiring replacement.

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The 13-foot-long detachable habitation module contains life-support systems, including a toilet, as well as the docking port for the International Space Station.

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The craft’s stubby wings enable the pilot to steer during the descent and make a controlled landing on an airport runway. In case of an emergency, parachutes ensure that the Clipper can land safely on the plains of central Russia.