Spaceflight, a next-generation, integrated space services company based in Seattle has today announced it is the first launch services provider to be awarded the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (00CORP).
With the aim of reinventing the model for launching satellites into space, this new contract will allow Spaceflight to provide its services to federal agencies at a pre-negotiated fixed rate, enabling them to quickly and easily secure small satellite launch contracts. Not only that, but in a manner akin to buying groceries via the internet, a process once thought to be innovative at the time, ordering a CubeSat or MicroSat launch can now be done in much the same way by accessing the GSA Advantage’s eBuy site, thus bypassing red tape to receive the services faster.
Spaceflight industries is not in the business of building rockets. What the company does do is take excess capacity on existing rockets, package small payloads, and launch them to space. And it does this very successfully, as signified by the new contract. The company aims to improve access to space by delivering this new customer-centric model, that will in turn reduce overheads and administrative costs and could potentially increase how frequently these services are utilised.
Speaking about the recent announcement, Curt Blake, President of Spaceflight Inc, acknowledges the many benefits of this new contract including the significant amount of time and tax payer money that will be saved due to the GSA Schedule being a preferred procurement vehicle. “Spaceflight has enjoyed a long, successful history of providing innovative launch services to federal agencies, including NASA and the U.S. Air Force,” said Blake. “Receiving the GSA contract is a significant endorsement not only for Spaceflight, but for the next generation of launch providers dedicated to helping more organisations increase their understanding of our world.”
Spaceflight works with nearly every launch vehicle provider on the planet, with capabilities to launch everything from a CubeSat to a 2000 kilogram micro-satellite, nonetheless, the company has had to complete an extensive and rigorous approval process in order to be awarded the GSA Schedule contract, highlighting the magnitude of this achievement and the growing success of the company. Recently, Spaceflight Industries founder and CEO Jason Andrews was honoured among the region’s top business leaders for innovations in the commercialisation of space by GeekWire. The selection committee commended Andrews for his active role in leading Spaceflight Industries to the front runner position in the commercialisation of space.
Late last year, Spaceflight announced the purchase of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the expansion of its launch services to include dedicated rideshare missions. Rideshare is a new launch alternative that blends cost-effective rideshare pricing with first-class service typically associated with buying a private rocket. The “2017 Sun Synch Express,” Spaceflight’s first dedicated rideshare mission, will launch in the second half of 2017 to a sun-synchronous low Earth orbit.
The continuing success of Spaceflight has seen the company launch 81 satellites to date with a further 135 satellites to deploy through 2018. It's launch services are available through the GSA Advantage!® website / eBuy, the online Request for Quotation (RFQ) tool which facilitates the procurement of products and services for government organizations. More information can be found at gsaadvantage.gov, by searching for Spaceflight’s GSA contract number: GS-00F-036DA.
