Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin, and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne have teamed together in preparation for NASA's Ares I Upper Stage procurement, planned for early 2007. The three companies have developed a complementary relationship, leveraging their strong experience and capabilities on NASA Human Space Flight programs to provide the Ares I project a springboard to minimize program costs, maintain aggressive development and test schedules, and reduce the technical risk going forward.
As a team, the three companies are natural partners for this upper stage effort because of the Ares I work already under way – and the interrelationships between those efforts. ATK is responsible for the Ares I first stage hardware, which includes the interface and separation with the upper stage.
Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne is responsible for the liquid-fuel J-2x engine and related interfaces with the main propulsion system of the Ares I upper stage. And Lockheed Martin is providing the avionics for the early Ares I -1 test flight – and is a recognized industry expert on large cryogenic tanks that are essential to Ares I success.
Additionally, the team possesses unparalleled experience in system and subsystem design, development, manufacturing, integration, test, and risk management for human-rated hardware. The team members have participated in every U.S. human space flight program in some capacity throughout NASA's history. That experience, coupled with new state-of-the-art processes and technologies, will provide the necessary elements to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
"By combining our core competencies and working together in a seamless manner, along with our current roles on the Ares I program, we can significantly reduce integration issues and system complexity – and help NASA achieve the vision for Space Exploration at this critical point in the program," said Ron Dittemore, president of ATK Launch Systems Group.
"Each team member brings unique and complementary strengths and capabilities in the areas needed to ensure the success of NASA's vision of returning humans to the moon and going on to Mars," said John Karas, vice president of Human Space Flight for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
"We have an excellent track record of working together as a team on such successful programs as the Space Shuttle, Titan IV and Atlas launch vehicles, as well as numerous defense programs."
"This team has a long and very successful history of working together in various forms throughout the history of the U. S. space program," said Byron Wood, president of Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne. "The team members have had a presence in Huntsville and an active working relationship with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center since its inception in 1960."
