NASA has selected Air Products and Chemicals, Inc of Allentown, Pennsylvania, to supply 33 million liters of liquid helium to the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sole source contract includes the lease of six proprietary liquid helium pumps.
The indefinite delivery requirements contract with firm-fixed price delivery orders begins Dec. 1. It includes a 23-month base period, followed by three option periods that, if exercised, would extend the contract to Oct. 31, 2027. The total value of the contract for the base plus option periods is approximately $1.07 billion.
Helium is an inert gas for purging hydrogen systems, a pressurizing agent for ground and flight fluid systems, and a cryogenic cooling agent. It is also used for spacecraft and rocket processing as well as launch operations.
NASA requires bulk liquid helium to support a range of agency activities from Kennedy and nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, including the International Space Station program as well as the Space Launch System and Orion programs that underpin Artemis, the agencys missions to the Moon and Mars.
