The deal, known as the Contract for Organising Spaceflight Mission Operations and Systems (COSMOS), is structured as a single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. It is scheduled to begin no earlier than 1 December 2025, with an initial five-year period and two potential extension options that could see it run until 2034.
ASCEND is a joint venture between Aerodyne Industries of Cape Canaveral and Jacobs Technology of Tullahoma, Tennessee, two firms with long-standing ties to NASA’s human spaceflight programs.
Under the agreement, ASCEND will provide crucial services that underpin NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate. This includes support for the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew Program and America’s flagship Artemis campaign, which aims to return astronauts to the moon later this decade. The contract also covers operational support for the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket, both critical components of Artemis.
The work itself will span everything, from the operation of the Mission Control Center in Houston to the development of astronaut training systems, high-fidelity mock-up environments and simulation exercises used to prepare astronauts, flight controllers and instructors for missions in space.
The COSMOS contract represents a continuation of NASA’s practice of partnering with private industry to ensure the smooth running of complex human spaceflight operations.
With Artemis missions gearing up for launch later this decade, including planned crewed missions to lunar orbit and the lunar surface, this contract will form an essential backbone for mission readiness, astronaut safety and the long-term sustainability of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.