Boeing's Role
In addition to manufacturing the space shuttle, The Boeing Company also plays a multitude of behind-the-scene roles integral to NASA's Space Shuttle Program.
Boeing's Space Exploration Division, a unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), which is headquartered in St. Louis, performs engineering and operations support for the shuttle. Space Exploration is headquartered in Houston and also operates facilities in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Huntsville, Ala.; Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla.; and Palmdale, Calif.
Boeing is the major subcontractor to United Space Alliance (USA) which is headquartered in Houston. USA is NASA's prime contractor for space shuttle operations. Established in 1995 as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), USA is equally owned by The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) and has employees working in Florida, Alabama, California, Washington, D.C., and Russia.
Boeing has supported shuttle operations and engineering the first flight in 1981. Boeing engineers are actively involved in the design and development work required to fulfill America's space exploration goals, using the existing shuttle experience and knowledge as a stepping-stone to the next space exploration vehicle.
Boeing's space shuttle work is organized into the following areas:
- Ongoing Engineering Support: Boeing serves as the technical expert to NASA and USA on the design and operations of the orbiter fleet to ensure its continued safety, flight readiness, efficiency and overall mission success. Activities range from designing new system modifications and upgrades to resolving day-to-day issues and mission anomalies.
- System and Payload Integration: Boeing identifies overall shuttle system (orbiter, Space Shuttle Main Engines, external tank and solid rocket boosters) and payload requirements during all shuttle operations phases: ground operations and checkout, ascent, on-orbit operations, reentry, landing and ferry flight activities. It also ensures the complementary operation of shuttle system elements, payloads, and ground systems. Activities range from evaluating external structural loads, aerodynamics, heating and guidance to developing payload support hardware.
- Orbiter Maintenance and Modifications: A technical team at KSC supports periodic orbiter major modifications, during which each vehicle receives a comprehensive structural inspection and modifications designed to reduce program maintenance costs, expand shuttle mission capabilities and improve operations, safety and reliability.
- Payload Ground Operations: Under the Checkout, Assembly, and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract at KSC, Boeing performs engineering and facilities support and maintenance activities related to preparing payloads for launch in the shuttle's payload bay. Processing a human space flight payload involves complex scheduling and logistics and precise testing to ensure the payload can communicate with the orbiter and ground stations. The payloads can include scientific instruments, interplanetary spacecraft, research laboratory modules and elements of the International Space Station. Processing activities begin years before a mission is scheduled to fly; the advance time depends on the mission's complexity.