Composite Crew Module Tops Off Liberty Launch Bid

Three months after NASA made its first-ever call for “full-up, end-to-end integrated system” proposals for its commercial crew program, contenders are revealing complete concepts and new teammates. At stake is not only a share of the action with multiple Space Act agreements on offer worth up to $500 million, but a potentially priceless lead role in commercial space access for decades to come. Vying for such a place is Alliant Techsystems (ATK), which has announced plans to develop a composite crew compartment with support from Lockheed Martin as part of a complete launch system being proposed with Astrium. Other contenders include Blue Origin, Boeing, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Sierra Nevada ...