NASA awards Ares mobile launcher contract

Daniel Mann, of NASA, speaks alongside sections of the Ares I rocket at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 6, 2007. The Ares I rocket is part of the new Constellation Program which will replace NASA's current shuttle program. The first test flight is planed for April 2009. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)

WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency said it awarded a contract to the Hensel Phelps Construction Co. to build the Ares I mobile launcher for NASA's Constellation Program.

Ares I is the rocket that will transport the Orion exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo into low Earth orbit. The contract issued to the Greenley, Colo., company includes an option for an additional Ares I mobile launcher.

NASA said the fixed-price contract has a value of $263 million if all options are exercised.

The mobile launcher will support the Ares I and the vehicle's associated ground equipment. It will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of the Ares I at the Kennedy Space Center.

The tower of the mobile launcher will have multiple platforms for personnel access and will be approximately 390 feet tall, NASA said. Construction will take place at the mobile launcher site north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building.

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NASA awards Ares mobile launcher contract