NASA has selected a group led by Lockheed Martin and a partnership comprising Northrop Grumman and Boeing as the final two teams to compete to build its Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) - the Space Shuttle's replacement.
The two teams will now take their proposals forward with a winner being decided later this year.
Phase 2 of the selection, covering the final CEV design and production, was originally scheduled with a winner being announced in 2008. But the whole process has been brought forward to reduce or possibly even eliminate the gap between the Shuttle's retirement in 2010 and an operational CEV being made available.
Lockheed Martin's team for the CEV includes EADS, Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand and Orbital. The news broke on the eve of a Lockheed Martin presentation on CEV by John Karas, Lockheed Martin vice-president, space exploration.
Source: Flight Daily News
