Consumables
NASA Certifies Alcoa as Sole Supplier of Al-Li Alloy for Ares 1
Monday 10. November 2008 - Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that NASA has certified its Davenport, Iowa, facility as the only supplier in the U.S. to produce aluminum-lithium alloy 2195 thin plate for the Ares 1 crew launch vehicle, the rocket that will enable astronauts to explore space beyond low earth orbit with the goal of reaching the moon by 2020.
Davenport will produce almost 1 million pounds of the thin aluminum-lithium material for this program. The Alcoa Technical Center near Pittsburgh is casting the aluminum-lithium ingot and shipping it to Davenport, where it is rolled into thin plate for additional fabrication.
“Basically, the way back to the moon is paved right here through Alcoa Davenport,” said Steve Cook, director of NASAs Exploration Launch office and Ares project manager. “It all starts with partners like Alcoa. You are on the front line in Davenport in helping us to take on the next exciting chapter in our space exploration efforts,” Cook said.
“Even though production metal is already moving through our facility, the qualification from NASA was vital to continue this business and reinforces Alcoa’s tradition as a provider of new aerospace materials and technology solutions for aircraft and spacecraft applications,” said Tony Morales, Alcoa Global Marketing Director, Aerospace.
In 2007, NASA awarded Alcoa an $18.5 million contract to develop the manufacturing capability and to supply the initial requirements of high performance aluminum-lithium plate and ingot to which will be used for the Ares 1 crew launch vehicle upper stage.
Learnings from Ares 1 will benefit the Ares V5, which will be the “heavy lift” cargo launch vehicle that will also feature Alcoa metal. When the actual mission to the Moon becomes reality, the plan will be to launch Ares V5 first and then launch the crew of up to six astronauts in Ares 1. The two rockets will dock in space and explore the Moon and other parts of the solar system.