NASA Taps ASCEND for COSMOS Contract

NASA has awarded ASCEND Aerospace & Technology a potential $1.8 billion contract to provide spaceflight mission support services at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The space agency said Thursday The Aerodyne Co. and Jacobs Technology Co. are joint venture partners on the single-award Contract for Organizing Spaceflight Mission Operations and Systems, or COSMOS.

In October 2024, NASA sought proposals for the COSMOS program, which seeks to ensure the availability and security of critical command and control systems for space vehicles and payloads.

Scope of NASA’s COSMOS Contract

COSMOS is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that has a five-year base term that is expected to kick off no earlier than Dec. 1. The contract also comes with two option periods that could extend work until 2034.

The IDIQ contract will support NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate, including the International Space Station, Orion and Space Launch System Programs, Commercial Crew Program and the Artemis campaign.

Services include Mission Control Center systems, mockup environments, training systems and training support for astronauts, instructors and flight controllers.

Sponsor