NASA Signs Agreement
with CSI
(19 June 2007) Constellation Services
International, Inc. (CSI) today announced that NASA has signed a Space Act
agreement with CSI to facilitate the development of CSI's low-risk LEO Express
space cargo system.
Under the agreement, NASA will provide
information about the agency's projected demand for cargo services to the
International Space Station (ISS), as well as requirements regarding rendezvous
and docking with the ISS.
"We are pleased to sign this agreement with
NASA as part of our commitment to opening the space frontier to private
citizens," said Charles Miller, CSI's Chief Executive Officer. "CSI is moving
forward with our plans to provide orbital services to commercial customers and
this Space Act Agreement allows us to work with NASA on various
challenges."
CSI has invested over six years and several million dollars
in private investment developing a commercial space station cargo service that
uses 100% proven off-the-shelf technology. CSI also won two NASA Alternate
Access to Station program contracts, in 2002 and 2003, totalling US$ 3.1
million. CSI's patented LEO Express space cargo system completed a NASA system
design review in July 2003. The LEO Express system can use over a dozen
existing launch vehicles, plus most of the new launch vehicles being developed
by private industry. The CSI system can even deliver space station cargo on
very small and cheap launchers like the SpaceX Falcon 1 or AirLaunch
QuickReach.
"Studies validate that CSI could deliver cargo to a space
station in as short as 19 months, and possibly even quicker" stated Tom Moser,
CSI's Vice President for Government Programs and a former NASA space station
program manager. Moser continued "The LEO Express system uses U.S. launch
vehicles that already meet NASA's most stringent 95% reliability standards,
which is critical if you are delivering high value cargo. We allow launch
vehicles to deliver 30-100% more cargo per flight compared to current direct
ascent approaches."
CSI was founded in 1998 as a commercial space
services company. CSI's LEO Express system uses an orbital space tug, and is
modelled after Earth-based intermodal cargo systems that use standardised
containers. CSI has offices in Laguna Woods, CA, and Alexandria,
VA.
(source: Constellation Services International)