Spacehab, has completed a deal with Europe’s space giant Astrium to significantly expand its strategic partnership with the company through a sale-leaseback agreement for Spacehab’s Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) program worth $15.4 million in cash and services to Spacehab.
Under the agreement, Spacehab and Astrium have agreed to expand the ICC program to offer new versions of this flight-proven unpressurized payload carrier, which is designed to fly in the cargo bay of NASA’s Space Shuttle.
New variations of ICC services will include deployable and vertical cargo carriers. Future enhancements may also include an EXPRESS carrier, a propulsion pallet and a cryogenic carrier.
The partners will continue to provide the basic ICC, which Spacehab has already flown on three Shuttle missions devoted to resupply of the International Space Station (ISS).
Formerly DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, Astrium purchased an 11.5 percent equity stake in Spacehab in fall 1999. Moreover, Astrium is the ICC mission integration contractor and makes the keel-yoke assembly that anchors the ICC in the Shuttle cargo bay.
Josef Kind, President of Astrium’s space infrastructure division and a member of Spacehab’s board of directors, said that he is pleased to be expanding this external flight hardware program with Spacehab.
“The ICC has already played a key role in ISS resupply, and we are confident that the program offers an affordable, quality solution for future unpressurized space station needs, said Kind.
