NASA has awarded the San Diego-based SpaceDev privately operated commercial space exploration company a research contract to study the possible use of a fleet of small spacecraft in Mars orbit. The craft could provide communications and navigation services for future unmanned Mars spacecraft. The SpaceDev craft would use a common spacecraft bus that could have interchangeable payloads and would incorporate state-of-the-art communications, avionics, navigation and communications technologies.
Source: Flight International
