spacetoday.net: NASA selects COTS finalists

Posted: Thu, May 11, 2006, 7:15 AM ET (1115 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

NASA has tapped six companies as finalists for a $500-million program to develop commercial transportation services for the International Space Station. According to media reports, NASA has picked Andrews Space, Rocketplane Kistler, SpaceDev, SPACEHAB, SpaceX, and t/Space for further discussions as part of its Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) program. NASA plans to pick one of more of these companies this summer to receive $500 million in funding to develop transportation systems that can ferry cargo and, eventually, crew to and from the ISS. Companies operating such services would also be free to use their vehicles for other commercial applications, such as space tourism.