The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that its Space Exploration division has submitted proposals to NASA for the Ares V Phase 1 Design Support Contracts.

Boeing submitted proposals for design support of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle's payload shroud, which will protect the Altair lunar lander during launch; the Earth-departure stage; the core stage, a liquid-fueled central booster element; and avionics and software. The work includes assessing requirements, risks and opportunities; performing trade studies and analysis; and producing final reports.

The company proposes to use the experience of its Huntsville-based team, supplemented by expertise from across Boeing, to develop products that will enable NASA to verify the Ares V design concept and demonstrate that the launch vehicle can meet its mission objectives.

"Boeing has designed and produced shrouds for Delta, Sea Launch and Titan rockets, and we've defined avionics and subsystem architectures across a wide range of aerospace products, including Delta, the space shuttle, the International Space Station and Ares I," said Jim Chilton, Boeing vice president of Exploration Launch Systems. "We're pleased to have the chance to bring this experience to NASA and Ares V."

The two-stage, vertically stacked Ares V will serve as NASA's primary rocket for safe, reliable delivery of large-scale hardware to space -- from the lunar landing craft and materials for establishing a moon base to food, water and other staples needed to extend a human presence beyond Earth's orbit.

The Ares V Phase 1 contracts will be managed out of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of Military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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