Leidos captures $476M NASA spaceflight support recompete
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test in November 2022 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA photo.
By
Ross Wilkers
Artemis and the International Space Station are among the programs Leidos will continue supporting
Leidos has been awarded a potential five-year, $476.5 million contract to continue its role as a provider of engineering, maintenance and operations services in support of NASA spaceflight programs.
This fourth iteration of the Cargo Mission Contract also covers the development and fabrication of new hardware, plus the modification and recertification of existing equipment for efforts such as the Artemis moon mission and the International Space Station.
NASA said Thursday that the new CMC4 contract begins on Oct. 1 with an initial two-year base period, followed by up to three individual option years.
For Leidos, its capture of this recompete extends the company's role on the CMC program dating back to when the former Lockheed Martin IS&GS services business first won the work in 2003.
Leidos inherited the contract through its merger with IS&GS in 2016 and won the current CMC3 iteration the following year.
“Whether it’s aboard the International Space Station or pushing the boundaries even further on Artemis, crew-sustaining provisions play a critical role in successful missions," Debbie Wells, vice president for space exploration and mission operations at Leidos, said in a statement emailed through a spokesperson. "For more than two decades, the Leidos team has carefully and painstakingly prepared cargo to withstand both the intense forces of a rocket launch and the microgravity of orbit to sustain human presence in space. We look forward to continuing to support this critical work for NASA to ensure mission success.”
NASA stood up the contract in order to hire a service provider that could help facilitate integration with hardware providers, international partners and makers of commercial visiting vehicles.
When Artemis I launched in 2022, Leidos played the role of IT infrastructure manager for NASA and sought to stay in the background for the entire exercise.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include a statement from Leidos executive Debbie Wells)
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