NASA has chosen 13 companies to explore future opportunities for non-governmental entities to conduct U.S. manned spaceflight missions to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations.
The space agency said Thursday studies will delve into conceptualization of business plans that will discuss the feasibility of using free-flying structures or the ISS as habitable platforms.
The research efforts will also serve to impart NASA with information regarding how best to transition human spaceflight activities in LEO from the government to industry.
The companies involved in the approximately $11 million project are:
- Axiom Space
- Bigelow Aerospace
- Blue Origin
- Boeing (NYSE: BA)
- Deloitte
- KBRWyle (NYSE: KBR)
- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)
- McKinsey & Co.
- NanoRacks
- Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC)
- Sierra Nevada Corp.
- Space Adventures
- Space Systems
Each company will receive an amount not exceeding $1 million and must submit final reports to NASA in December.
