The new millennium program: management challenges in the 21st century

NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) will accelerate the infusion of technologies into its space and Earth science missions of the 21st century. The program plans a series of technology-validation flights in the 1998-2000 time frame, anticipating a rate of two flights per year, which will demonstrate technologies for deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. In tandem with developing and validating new technologies, NMP is also undertaking new management approaches, particularly in the area of team partnership between government and industry. A novel application of the concept of integrated product development teams (IPDTs) is being pursued, one in which cross-organizational teams, made up of members from government, industry, and academia, create roadmaps for development of the high payoff technologies that NMP intends to flight validate. The IPDT approach is expected to reduce cost and improve product. This paper discusses the management challenges that must be addressed today in order to more efficiently undertake space exploration and Earth observation in the 21st century: the new millennium.