NASA agrees to work with joint US-European rocket

By Anne Walters Sep 13, 2011, 20:14 GMT

Washington - NASA gave the green light Tuesday to a joint US-European rocket project that could carry humans into space aboard commercial crew vehicles.

The Liberty rocket, which is being designed by the US aerospace company Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and EADS' Astrium space division, would carry aloft commercial spacecraft currently being designed by a variety of other companies.

NASA, in an agreement announced Tuesday, said it would work with the companies to develop the launch system, helping to review safety requirements, design and other issues. The deal does not come with any NASA funding.

'This agreement will provide the opportunity to look at the Liberty system to understand its design solution and risks, its capabilities and how it could be used to fly our NASA crew,' said Ed Mango, NASA's commercial crew programme manager.

ATK said the launch system could be ready to carry commercial crew sooner than other rockets being developed because it combines components of systems already approved to carry humans aloft - a motor derived from the space shuttle's solid rocket motors and part of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket.

The goal is to conduct test flights as early as 2014, with a manned flight in 2015.

'We think this brings the best of US and European launch capabilities into the best launch vehicle in this competitive marketplace,' said John Schumacher, vice president of space programmes for EADS North America.

NASA retired its 30-year-old space shuttle fleet earlier this year, and is working with commercial companies to develop spacecraft to carry astronauts into low-Earth orbit later this decade.

The Liberty rocket would compete with another rockets being designed by United Launch Alliance and SpaceX to carry commercial crew capsules designed by other companies.

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