HOUSTON, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has selected Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to support cargo mission services for the International Space Station (ISS). The potential value of the contract is $171M, with a three year base and additional options running until 2017. Having supported NASA's cargo mission since 2004, Lockheed Martin proposed in its bid an innovative set of new tools and processes to help NASA lower the overall cost of processing ISS cargo.  

Under the Cargo Mission Contract, Lockheed Martin will support planning, coordination, preparation and packing of standardized containers for cargo missions to and from the International Space Station.  The Lockheed Martin team will provide the required sustaining engineering, logistics, configuration management, as well as safety and mission assurance functions for cargo to be delivered to the ISS by vehicle providers in the United States, Japan, Europe, Russia, as well as domestic commercial launch vehicles when they begin service. As pre-packed cargo will be shipped to launch sites within the United States, French Guiana, Kazakhstan, and Japan, this effort also includes arranging ground transportation and addressing import regulations.  

Additionally, this new contract includes Flight Crew Equipment (FCE) support to buy, maintain and prepare items the crew requires for the ISS, such as clothing, housekeeping and personal hygiene items, audio/visual equipment and laptop computers.  

"Lockheed Martin is proud to have served as a partner to NASA since the beginning of human spaceflight," said Rick Hieb, vice president of Exploration & Science Solutions division within Lockheed Martin's Information Systems and Global Solutions-Civil organization. "We look forward to continuing to serve the International Space Station program and help NASA and its international partners efficiently maximize its capabilities." 

Work on the contract will be performed primarily at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, as well as other locations inside and outside the United States.  Small business partners on the contract include Bastion Technologies, Dittmar Associates, GHG Corporation, Futron, LZ Technology, Inc., Rothe Enterprises, and the University of Texas at El Paso.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44 billion.

For additional information, visit our Web site: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin Corporation