Budget & Timeline _{the $10 Billion project}

Significant sub-systems of the mission design will be subcontracted to specialized development firms.

A sampling of leading firms include the following: Boeing Space and Intelligence, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Ball Aerospace.

The communication systems will be competed among Harris Corporation, Raytheon Space, Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems, and General Dynamics Space Technologies.

The team has selected Elwing Corporation to lead the development of the Ion Drive Plasma Thrusters due to its cutting edge R&D in the area.

The on-board power plant will be contracted to Hyperion Power Generation, Inc.

Budget estimations below are derived from cost projections performed by Team Bound. In order to fund the large undertaking, it is recommended that this be an international mission due to the benefit provided to future generations.

The Budget is broken down into 6 large topics. Each topic is awarded an initial Award-Fee Contract in order to conduct a feasibility study on the design and its realization. Following the initial contract, 10 years of additional development awards will be added to the contract vehicle. Upon completion of a single system, additional funds are allocated for continuation of service to maintain support through the initial launch cycle. Finally, a project lifetime maintenence figure of $3Billion is included with the expectation to form this fund over the next several decades with investment interest to fund the project support.

The following Cost Factor Table is derived from data from the NASA Award Fee Contracting Guide¹ . This cost structure will serve as the contract cost breakdown.

Each major system will be contracted on an Award-Fee Contract with the promise of large contract add ons for continued successful completion. Overall, the payload launches are set to begin in 2031 with a launch window lasting until 2040.

Each contractor shall be awarded a 1 year initial feasibility study. Each contract, after satisfactory performance review, will be extended a 10 year primary development phase. After this phase, varying development time periods are selected in order to validate the subsystem in time for interdependent systems to be finalized. The primary hurdle will be the development of the propulsion system. Each subsystem is budgeted to maintain the contract to until 2041.