Pasadena’s Jacobs Engineering Now Part of Coalition for Deep Space Exploration

Pasadena-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has announced it is now part of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, joining a U.S. organization of over 27 space industry businesses and non-profit groups that support continued government investment in space exploration.

“Jacobs has long been a strong contributor to our nation’s space exploration program,” Jacobs Senior Vice President Aerospace and Technology Ward Johnson said. “As NASA’s largest services provider, Jacobs provides direct support to related programs at Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center and Johnson Space Center. And as a member of the coalition we share the commitment to advocate NASA’s deep space exploration program and endorse its vision to pursue the benefits returned to our country from long-term national investment in space exploration and scientific discovery.”

Jacobs said in a press release last week that continued investment in space exploration enables NASA and its suppliers to “plan and work together to build habitats near the Moon, provide landers and housing to support lunar research and development on the Moon’s surface, and ultimately to land people on Mars and return them safely to Earth.”

These missions would require further development of key systems at NASA, including the Space Launch System, the Orion crew vehicle and Exploration Ground Systems, the company said.

NASA is currently working towards the launch of an unmanned test mission of the Space Launch System in 2018, and a crewed mission in 2021.

In February 2016, a team from Jacobs joined 250 supplier representatives from across the country at the SLS/Orion Suppliers Conference in Washington DC, where the need for budget stability for NASA’s program was a key discussion point.

“We see the greatest challenge to NASA’s deep space program is budget stability, with budget requests and appropriations often out of sync,” Johnson said. “This draws out the program and drives up costs. Reduction of political uncertainty, together with budget stability would significantly reduce costs and clarify planning for this important program.”