Under the 43-month Flexible Space Vehicle Production Line agreement, TRW will focus on developing manufacturing technology aimed at reducing costs and cycle time in spacecraft electronics, structures and manufacturing operations.

The agreement is a part of the Manufacturing Technology for Affordable Space Systems (MASS) program, an Air Force initiative aimed at making dramatic changes in how spacecraft are built and tested in the early years of the next century.

"We're pleased to be working with the Air Force on this major new military space technology initiative," said Allan Frew, vice president and general manager, TRW Space & Technology Division. "Our goal for this program is to reduce costs and cycle time by up to 50 percent for both constellation and specialty spacecraft."

The program consists of a process development phase and a demonstration phase. In Phase I, TRW will evaluate key design features, manufacturing infrastructure, materials and manufacturing technology to accommodate a flexible space vehicle production line.

In Phase II, TRW will demonstrate the production of spacecraft structures using low-cost, producible design and manufacturing processes.

TRW will also incorporate technology developed under MASS into production processes in the company's newly built Space Vehicle Production Facility.

In a second MASS agreement with AFRL, TRW will demonstrate the development of production technology and packaging techniques to cut the cost, size and weight of spacecraft RF communications electronics.

TRW has successfully demonstrated agile manufacturing practices under a similar AFRL program initiated in the early 1990s, called the Industrial Base Pilot. TRW produced electronic modules for the F-22 Strike Fighter and RAH-66 Comanche Helicopter on an assembly line for commercial automotive electronics -- significantly cutting design and production costs.

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