| Commercial Orbital Transportation Services |
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Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a (ISS) on government operated vehicles, NASA would spend $500 million through 2010 to finance the demonstration of orbital transportation services from commercial providers. This is more challenging than existent commercial space transportation because it requires precision Orbit Insertion , Rendezvous and possibly docking with another spacecraft. The Private Spaceflight vendors {Link without Title} will compete for four specific service areas:
NASA had explored a prior program in the Mid 1990's for ISS services entitled "Alt Access" for Alternate Access. This program convinced numerous entrepreneurial entities that ISS would prove to be a significant market opportunity. Shortly thereafter, Alt Access was reprogrammed with no funds allocated past initial studies. After years of keeping orbital transport for Human Spaceflight in-house, NASA concluded that firms in a Free Market could develop and operate such a system more efficiently and affordably than a government Bureaucracy . NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin has stated that without affordable Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), the agency will not have enough funds remaining to achieve the objectives of the Vision For Space Exploration . Furthermore, if such services are unavailable by the end of 2010 , NASA would be forced to purchase orbital transportation services on foreign spacecraft such as the Russian Federal Space Agency 's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, the European Space Agency 's Automated Transfer Vehicle or the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency 's H-II Transfer Vehicle since NASA's own Crew Exploration Vehicle may not be ready until 2014 . NASA anticipates that COTS services to ISS will be necessary through at least 2015 . The NASA Administrator has suggested that space transportation services procurement may be expanded to orbital fuel depots and Lunar Surface deliveries should the first phase of COTS prove successful. NASA may award a COTS contract as soon as Spring 2006.[http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/aw050106p02.xml For current information, see COTS Watch {Link without Title} a blog dedicated to news, articles, whitepapers and opinions about NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) initiative. ANNOUNCED PROPOSALS More than 20 companies submitted COTS proposals in March, 2006 . Many of these companies are collaborating on joint proposals, some have submitted more than one proposal, and several of the companies have yet to publically announce their proposal. The following proposals have been publically announced: {Link without Title}
It's also rumored that Arianespace , Boeing and Lockheed Martin have submitted proposals, or have created sub-companies to do so. EXTERNAL LINKS
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