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As NASA increasingly relies on commercial space, there are some troubling signs

“The government’s really got to look at itself.”…

The agency had never really tried anything like this before, so the officials involved in the project started with some guiding principles, explained Alan Lindemoyer, who managed this Commercial Cargo program for NASA, in an interview. This was an inauspicious start because with fixed-price contracts—as opposed to cost-plus contracts, which are more expensive but guarantee that contractors will eventually cross the finish line—NASA was taking a risk that some providers would drop out. Following this experience, Boeing, along with other traditional contractors, including Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, have essentially told NASA they will no longer bid for fixed-price contracts.

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