Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2021)
Recipient: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2008-12-23 to 2023-08-22
Current total value of award: $64885146.29
Description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