Collins Aerospace to Provide Critical Subsystems for NASA’s Orion Spacecraft

January 29, 2020

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to provide critical subsystems to support production of NASA’s Orion spacecraft fleet for Artemis missions III through VIII. Valued at $320 million, the systems being provided by Collins Aerospace will play an important role in enabling NASA’s goal of boots on the Moon by 2024, as well as establishing a sustained presence on and around the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.

The key subsystems for Orion to be provided by Collins Aerospace include:

• Environmental control and life support systems that maintain a healthy and comfortable environment for the crew both in the spacecraft cabin and while isolated in launch and re-entry suits
• Active thermal control systems, which provide liquid circulation throughout the spacecraft picking up waste heat from the crew and vehicle electronics
• Power management and distribution hardware, providing power connectivity from external power sources and conditioned power to the crew and service modules
• Waste management systems to promote crewmember comfort and vehicle cleanliness

Work for the systems being provided for Orion will be performed at Collins Aerospace facilities in:

• Windsor Locks, Connecticut
• Houston, Texas
• Rockford, Illinois
• San Dimas, California

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