Raytheon awarded $120 million contract for training support from NASA

Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC), a subsidiary of Raytheon Company, has received a contract valued up to $120 million to support facilities and operations for astronaut training at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston. Under the contract, RTSC will operate, maintain, and perform engineering services for equipment and software used at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) and Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF). The contract begins Oct. 1, 2010, and ends Sept. 30, 2015, if all options are exercised. "The Raytheon team places a premium on safe operations, working closely with our customer, and ultimately providing astronauts and their flight support teams with the skills and solutions needed to achieve mission success," said Bill Toti, vice president of RTSC's Mission Support Operations. "NBL and SVMF are world-class astronaut training facilities, and our continued partnership with NASA gives us an opportunity to innovate and optimize the facilities for commercial application." RTSC has approximately 70 employees supporting the laboratory and the mockup facility, operations that provide zero-gravity or partial-gravity training to astronauts in Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs. In addition to astronaut training, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility supports other engineering activities at JSC.