Federal contracting records on USASpending.gov document a definitive contract, identified as NNM07AB03C, valued at approximately $10.5 billion held by The Boeing Company with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for work on the Ares I upper stage under NASA's former Constellation program.

According to the contract description recorded in USASpending, the work covered developmental hardware and test articles, and manufacture and assembly of Ares I upper stages. The Ares I upper stage served as an integral part of the Ares I launch vehicle, providing the second stage of flight and including guidance and navigation systems, command and data handling, and other avionics functions. The contract also covered systems for roll control during the first stage burn and separation.

The Ares I was the crew launch vehicle component of NASA's Constellation program, which was intended to return astronauts to the Moon. The Constellation program was cancelled in 2010. The USASpending record documents the total obligation recorded over the life of the contract for this major space launch systems development effort.

For federal contractors, large-scale NASA development contracts of this type illustrate the scope and complexity of human spaceflight programs. Boeing remains a major NASA prime contractor for human spaceflight, including ongoing work on the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Commercial Crew Program through separate contracts.

Source: USASpending.gov — Contract NNM07AB03C