WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Tuesday it was competing for commercial and military space contracts worth $15 billion to $17 billion in 2008, not including classified government work, which it said also contributes significantly to revenues.

 

'2008 could be a huge year for us,' spokeswoman Diana Ball told reporters during a teleconference. 'We're looking at approaching $15 to $17 billion in new business,' she said, adding that the new orders would stretch over the next decade.

 

Ball said the company's estimate already had factored in the Air Force's reported plan to slash $4 billion from the Transformation Communications Satellite (TSAT) program, and did not include classified work.

 

'This kind of new business potential in the satellite industry is pretty much unprecedented,' she added.

 

Boeing does not report sales revenues by sector, but Ball said the possible new orders amounted to more than triple the company's commercial and military satellite sales.

 

She said Boeing had about 25 satellites in its backlog at the moment, and was continually working to improve its manufacturing process.

 

Boeing's space programs have not experienced the cost overruns and schedule delays that have triggered congressionally mandated reviews of programs run by competitors like Northrop Grumman Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp, Ball said.

 

'Boeing is very much committed to the satellite business,' Ball said. 'We're doing everything we can to make sure that we think we're right on the track with our program performance.'

 

The government is expected to award contracts for several big programs in 2008, including TSAT, Global Positioning Satellite III, and GOES-R, the next-generation group of geostationary environmental satellites.

 

The company is also competing for several large commercial contracts, Ball said.

In addition, NASA could award a contract for two Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) spacecraft before the end of December, a deal valued at over $1 billion, Ball said.

 

Boeing said it was disappointed by reports the Air Force planned to cut the TSAT program, but said it was confident that it could offer alternative solutions that still offered advanced communications to U.S. troops.

 

It said its work on various programs, including GPS IIF, Space Based Surveillance System (SBSS) and Wideband Global SATCOM were on track to meet cost and schedule targets.