Commercial Orbital Transportation Services.

NASA is conducting a new competition for funding that remains in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project. The new competition follows NASA s decision to terminate its funded agreement with aerospace firm Rocketplane Kistler, which repeatedly failed to meet agreed-up-on milestones in its effort to develop. and demonstrate commercial transportation capabilities to low Earth orbit. "NASA remains fully committed to the COTS Project," said Alan Lindenmoyer, who as manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office over sees the COTS Project. NASA intends to enter into one or more new COTS agreements early next year. Companies that are US commercial providers as defined in the Commercial Space Act, will be eligible. COTS provides seed money to companies when they reach performance milestones to help them design and develop space transportation capabilities that could pave the way for private cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. Of the $206.8 million NASA agreed to invest in Rocketplane Kistler, the company received a total of $32.1 million. The remaining $174.7 million will be offered to aerospace firms in a new competition. In 2006, NASA chose two' companies to receive COTS funding: Rocketplane Kistler and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX). Both companies signed Space Act Agreements with the agency that detailed mutually agreed-upon financial and technical milestones as well as a payment schedule based on those requirements. In late May, Rocketplane Kistler missed the fourth milestone, a second round of private financing, in its COTS agreement. After months of discussions with the company, NASA officially notified Rocketplane Kistler in early. September of its failure to perform. The agency decided to terminate the Rocketplane Kistler agreement when, after careful consideration, NASA concluded that further efforts were not in the agency's best interest. NASA followed the process for termination that was spelled out in the Space Act Agreement. NASA's other funded COTS Rartner, SpaceX is current on all of its financial and technical milestones. NASA also has unfunded COTS agreements with five other companies.