Posted: Tue, Oct 14, 2003, 2:42 PM ET (1842 GMT)
Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that Orbital Sciences Corporation has joined it and Northrop Grumman on the same team that proposes to develop NASA's Orbital Space Plane (OSP). Orbital had been working with Northrop as one of three teams, along with Boeing and Lockheed, to work on designs for the spacecraft. However, last month Northrop decided to join Lockheed, leaving Orbital's role in the OSP competition uncertain. Under the new arrangement Lockheed will serve as the prime contract, with Northrop as the principal teammate and Orbital as a subcontractor. While Northrop and Orbital announced last month that they had settled on a capsule as their proposed design for the OSP, it's not known if that design will continue to be developed with Lockheed or abandoned in favor of another capsule or winged vehicle design. NASA is scheduled to decide on a contractor for the OSP by mid-2004, with the vehicle entering service as a crew return vehicle for the International Space Station by the end of 2008.

Related Links:

•  Lockheed/Orbital press release