NASA highlights Mentor-Protégé Program at Boeing’s C3PF
Photo Credit: NASA
NASA and Boeing provided members of the media with a tour of Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, July 26. The review of the former Orbiter Processing Facility was held to highlight the space agency’s Mentor-Protégé Program.
The Mentor-Protégé Program is designed to allow well-established companies, like Boeing, to help up-and-coming firms in terms of strengthening their technical capabilities so that these emerging companies can be able to compete for larger, more complex contracts.
Boeing is currently constructing the company’s entry in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the CST-100 Starliner, spacecraft in the C3PF and the aerospace giant was represented by John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing Commercial Programs. Mulholland noted how his company would, along with NASA, assist Bastion Technologies Inc. for a period of at least 18 months.
“Today we are going to continue our partnership of partnering with small and diverse businesses,” Mulholland said. “Bastion is a valued member of the Starliner program, and well worth our investment to make the company even more efficient as a manufacturer, more effective as a Boeing supplier, and more valuable as a team member to accomplish an important mission for NASA – flying crews to and from the International Space Station.”
Several NASA officials were also on hand, including Kennedy Space Center’s Director, Robert Cabana, Kathryn Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Glenn Delgado, associate administrator of NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs and Joyce McDowell of Kennedy’s Small Business Office.
“Small business partnerships are key not only to the success of the Commercial Crew Program, but also to NASA as an agency,” said Joyce McDowell, a small business specialist in NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Office of Small Business Programs. “This NASA-sponsored partnership between Boeing and Bastion Technologies will not only bolster the economy through promoting a small business, it will help return human spaceflight to Florida’s Space Coast.”
Jason Rhian
Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.
