Mumbai: Defence and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has won a $3.9 billion contract from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) beating rivals Northrop Corporation and Boeing Co. The contract is for developing a new space vehicle, called Orion.

The Orion project, which will be the biggest change for NASA''s space fleet in 30 years, will also mark America''s next big push into interplanetary travel.

The new conical-shaped spaceships will take over from the aging space shuttle, which is set to retire in 2010. The Orion will be the primary vehicle for NASA''s manned space programmes in the future. The 16.5-foot diameter, 25-ton capsule will be able to acommodate six astronauts, twice as much as the space shuttle.

NASA plans to launch the Orion capsule on the new generation rocket, Ares, which is designed to put the spacecraft into low earth orbit of the International Space Station initially. NASA will develop larger versions of the spacecraft later.

The first manned Orion launch is slated for 2014 and a lunar landing not later than 2020. The Orion project is expected to revive the lunar programme which would be the launch pad for flights deeper into space, to the Red Planet and beyond - for human exploration of the solar system. Lockheed will conduct the engineering and assembly work at NASA''s Johnson Space Center in Houston and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, respectively.

The $3.9 billion design and testing phase is slated to start next week and last through September 7, 2013. Delivery orders could begin in 2009. The value of the order may go up by another $3.5 billion if NASA opts to purchase additional spacecraft.

The Lockheed team includes Honeywell International Inc, Orbital Sciences Corp. and Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Co. unit. Another Lockheed subcontractor is United Space alliance, a 50-50 joint venture of Lockheed and Boeing.

Aerojet, a subsidiary of GenCorp Inc., said separately it won the contract to provide Lockheed with key propulsion elements for the Orion project, including the main engine on the service module and the thrusters needed to maneuver the crew module to and from the lunar or Martian surface.

Lockheed''s win is a major blow to Northrop Grumman Corp and Boeing Co, which had joined forces to compete against Lockheed for the lucrative contract.