The contracts specify at least one crewed flight test per company, with at least one NASA astronaut aboard to verify a fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system’s capability to launch, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station. The flight will also validate that all its systems perform as expected. Upon successful completion of the test program and certification, each contractor will conduct between two and six missions carrying crew to the space station. The spacecraft also will serve as a lifeboat for astronauts aboard the ISS.
The U.S. missions to the International Space Station following certification will allow the station’s current crew of six to grow, enabling the crew to conduct more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program will implement this capability as a public-private partnership with the American aerospace companies, with NASA engineers and spaceflight specialists facilitating and certifying the development work of industry partners to ensure new spacecraft are safe and reliable.
The U.S. missions to the International Space Station following certification will allow the station’s current crew of six to grow, enabling the crew to conduct more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.
NASA poster featuring the Boeing CST-100 spacecraft. NASA image
“We are excited to see our industry partners close in on operational flights to the International Space Station, an extraordinary feat industry and the NASA family began just four years ago,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “This space agency has long been a technology innovator, and now we also can say we are an American business innovator, spurring job creation and opening up new markets to the private sector. The agency and our partners have many important steps to finish, but we have shown we can do the tough work required and excel in ways few would dare to hope.”
The companies will own and operate the crew transportation systems and be able to sell human space transportation services to other customers in addition to NASA, thereby reducing the costs for all customers.
By encouraging private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit – a region NASA’s been visiting since 1962 – the space agency says it can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America’s investment in the International Space Station, as well as building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions, including flights to Mars.