Today, NASA announced that The Boeing Company has been awarded an initial NASA contract valued at approximately $265 million to produce the Ares I crew launch vehicle's instrument unit avionics (IUA). The award follows Boeing's selection as the Ares I upper stage production contractor in August.
The IUA provides the guidance, navigation and control hardware for the new Ares I crew launch vehicle, serving as the "brains" behind the rocket's ascent. The Ares I launches the Orion crew exploration vehicle, which will join other elements of NASA's Constellation program to help propel astronauts to the moon by 2020.
Boeing will produce three IUA flight test units and six production units, with an option to produce four additional units per year from 2014 to 2016. The first delivery of the avionics unit is expected in 2012 as NASA wants to launch astronauts into orbit and then shoot for the moon by 2020.
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