WASHINGTON, Juni 2, 2016 — I-NASA ikhethe i-Blue Origin, LLC, e-Van Horn, e-Texas, ukuthi ihlanganise futhi indize imithwalo ekhokhelwayo yobuchwepheshe eduze nomngcele wesikhala kumkhumbi-mkhathi wabo we-New Shepard suborbital ukuze isekele Uhlelo Lwe-NASA Lwe-Flight Opportunities.

Lena inkampani yesithupha ekhethelwe ukulethwa kwenkontileka engapheli, yenani elingenamkhawulo ngaphansi kwesicelo se-Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle (sRLV) Flight and Payload Integration Services, enenani elihlanganisiwe elingeqi ku-$45 million.

Kusukela ngo-June 1, inkontileka ne-Blue Origin izoqhudelana nezinye izinkampani zohlelo ukuze uthole ama-oda emisebenzi yokuletha ukuhlanganiswa komthwalo okhokhelwayo kanye nezinsizakalo zendiza. Wonke ama-task orders kumele aqaliswe phakathi nenkathi yokusebenza yenkontileka yeminyaka emithathu.

"Siyajabula ukuthi iBlue Origin ijoyine uphiko lwethu lwabahlinzeki bezinsizakalo zeFlight Opportunities," kusho uSteve Jurczyk, osebenzisana nomqondisi weNASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) eWashington. "Ukwengeza abahlinzeki bezindiza abengeziwe kwenza i-NASA kanye nomphakathi obanzi we-aerospace babonise futhi baguqule ubuchwepheshe bendawo, bathuthukise amakhono amasha ngokushesha futhi, okungenzeka, ngezindleko eziphansi."

Le nkontileka iwukuqhutshekwa kwezinkontileka ezikhishwe ngo-2014 no-2015, ehlinzeka ngamakhono okuhweba kusetshenziswa amasistimu endiza afakazelwe. Inkontileka ivumela ukwanda kwabathengisi abasha kanye nokwengezwa kwamaphrofayela amasha endiza okungenani njalo ngonyaka, njengoba kunqunywa izimfuneko zikahulumeni.

I-Blue Origin izojoyina amafemu alandelayo okwamanje angaphansi kwenkontileka:
• I-Masten Space Systems, Inc., Mojave, California
• Near Space Corporation, Tillamook, Oregon
• UP Aerospace, Inc., Littleton, Colorado
• Virgin Galactic, LLC, New York
• I-World View Enterprises, Inc., Tucson, Arizona

NgoHlelo Lwamathuba Endiza, i-STMD ikhetha ubuchwepheshe obuthembisayo embonini, ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme kanye nohulumeni, futhi ibuvivinye ezimotweni zokwethulwa kwezentengiselwano. Uhlelo lweFlight Opportunities Programme luxhaswe yi-STMD, futhi luphethwe e-Armstrong Flight Research Center ye-NASA e-Edwards, eCalifornia. I-STMD inomthwalo wemfanelo wokuthuthukisa ukunqamula, ukuphayona, ubuchwepheshe obusha kanye namakhono adingwa yi-ejensi ukufeza imisebenzi yayo yamanje neyesikhathi esizayo.