NASA orders US based crew missions

NASA has made advancements in getting US astronauts into space from a US soil.  California based company SpaceX was given its first mission contract for a manned flight to the International Space Station (ISS).  This is the second of four guaranteed mission orders from NASA under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts.  The first was given to Houston based company Boeing in May of this year.  Each mission contract is for a proposed launch date in late 2017.

Boeing’s CST-100 and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will bring back America’s ability to launch astronauts from the US, as compared to the current Russian launches.  American based capsules and launches will save the money, per seat, for transportation to the ISS. 

The US based companies have been given their contracts two to three years in advance so they can complete the design and manufacturing of their spacecraft.  Each company must also complete a certification process before final approval for flight is given.  Each craft will be able to carry up to 4 NASA crew members and about 220 pounds of cargo.  The capsule can then stay attached to the ISS for 240 days and acts as a lifeboat.

The CCtCap contracts are managed by NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and they will work with Boeing and SpaceX through the entire process to ensure the capsules meet NASA’s safety requirements.  The Commercial Crew Program will be involved in all operational phases to ensure crew safety.  Each contract has a minimum of two missions and can be extended to 6 missions if successful.