KSC-2011-8327

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Manager Ed Mango, left, and Deputy Program Manager Brent Jett host a Program Strategy Forum at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forum was held to update industry partners about NASA's decision to use multiple, competitively awarded Space Act Agreements (SAAs) instead of an Integrated Design Contract for the agency's next phase of developing commercial space transportation system capabilities. Using SAAs instead of a contract will allow NASA to maintain multiple partners, with the flexibility to adjust technical direction, milestones and funding. The move was made so the program could adapt to dynamic budgetary circumstances while maintaining a high level of competition among transportation providers. CCP is helping to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of the program is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann