NASA is shutting down a $2 billion project to test satellite refueling in space, it announced Friday, after the agency's auditor criticized the program's lead contractor, Maxar, citing "poor performance."
The space agency said in a statement that the OSAM-1 — On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 — project was being discontinued after nearly a decade of work.
NASA did not respond to CNBC's request for comment on how many personnel will be affected as a result of OSAM-1's cancellation.
Maxar was taken private by private equity firm Advent International in May 2023 before being split into two businesses: Maxar Intelligence, focused on satellite imagery and analytics, and Maxar Space Systems, focused on spacecraft manufacturing.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland was leading the work on OSAM-1, with Maxar Space Systems as the project's prime contractor under multiple deals.
Persons:
Eric Glass, Maxar, NASA's, Goddard, General
Organizations:
NASA, Space Systems, CNBC, International, Maxar Intelligence, Systems, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, Maxar, U.S, Northrop
Locations:
Maryland, Goddard