SpaceX and Rocketplane Kister pass their first COTS Milesones

NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) paid for two milestone this month. SpaceX finished their Preliminary Design Review while Rocketplane Kistler finished their Systems Requirements Review (SRR).

I have been a part of both of those reviews in the last year, so I lift a glass and toast them both. Better you than me :)

Future for SpaceX:

On Feb. 8 SpaceX, of El Segundo, Calif., received NASA approval of a preliminary design review for the first orbital demonstration of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon reusable spacecraft. That flight, planned for September 2008, will be the first of three outlined in NASA's agreement with SpaceX. The company completed a project management review for the mission in September 2006 and a system requirements review in November 2006. SpaceX delivered its preliminary design review data to NASA Jan. 22. The critical design review is set for this summer.

Future for RocketPlane Kistler:

On Feb. 6, Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City established the requirements for interfaces between its two-stage K-1 reusable cargo transportation system and the International Space Station. The requirements review was the third of numerous milestones NASA will use to measure the company's progress toward a full demonstration of its launch capability. Both the first and second stages completed critical design reviews before Rocketplane Kistler joined the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project. Those vehicle components are being transported to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to begin the assembly phase.