Colorado, USA, 02 April 2007: NASA has awarded a Rapid II contract to MicroSat Systems, Inc., a provider of satellites for military responsive space applications and civil and commercial customers.
The contract allows MicroSat entry into a catalog of approved vendors for fast procurement of spacecraft systems and services. The contract has a minimum value of $50,000 and a potential maximum value of $1.5 billion. Along with MicroSat Systems, there are only eight other approved vendors in the Rapid II list.
NASA’s Rapid Spacecraft Development Office focuses on the efficient and quick procurement process for NASA and any other federal agencies that need spacecraft systems and services. The traditional government procurement process, which often takes as long as two to three years, can now take as little as 30 to 90 days. Through a rigorous proposal process, aerospace companies demonstrate their success in building spacecraft and having controlled processes in place. With a contract award, selected companies become approved vendors and are included in the Rapid II catalog.
“This is a perfect match for us,” said John Roth, president of MicroSat Systems. “Our business is building spacecraft quickly, efficiently, and economically, and that’s what this program is all about.”
“Following our successful TacSat-2 launch in December, this NASA award is further verification that our business model of building reliable, affordable spacecraft that are highly capable is valued,” said Todd Mosher, Director of Advanced Systems. “We hope this will open up several opportunities to work with NASA in performing its science and exploration missions.”
