NASA Administrator Bolden to Hail Success of Commercial Cargo Program

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Nov 08, 2013, 05:49 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will discuss the success of the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) initiative during a televised news briefing at 11:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 13.

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Through COTS, NASA's partners Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corp., developed new U.S. rockets and spacecraft, launched from U.S. soil, capable of transporting cargo to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station.

A successful Orbital Sciences demonstration mission to the space station was completed in October, signifying the end of COTS development. SpaceX made its first trip to the space station in May 2012 and completed its COTS partnership with NASA the same year. The agency now contracts space station cargo resupply missions with both companies.

The briefing will be held in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.

The participants will be:

Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator
Alan Lindenmoyer, Manager of Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, NASA
Gwynne Shotwell, President, SpaceX
Frank Culbertson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Orbital Sciences Advanced Programs Group
Frank Slazer, Vice President of Space Systems, Aerospace Industries Association
Phil McAlister, Director of Commercial Spaceflight Development, NASA

Media may ask questions from participating NASA centers or by telephone. To participate by phone, reporters must contact Trent Perrotto at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] by 10 a.m. Wednesday.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about COTS, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/commercial

SOURCE NASA