Under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap)
contracts, the two companies will
continue development of spacecraft
capable of transporting NASA astronauts to and from the International
Space Station as early as 2017, ending the agency’s dependence on
Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The contracts cover the development and certification of the
spacecraft, including at least one test flight with both NASA and
commercial crewmembers on board. The awards also fund between two and
six operational flights to the ISS, each carrying four astronauts, once
NASA certifies each company’s vehicle. Unlike previous phases of NASA’s
commercial crew program, which used funded Space Act Agreements that
provided greater flexibility, the CCtCap awards are fixed-price
contracts.
“This was not an easy choice,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said
at the Sept. 16 announcement at the Kennedy Space Center, “but this is
the best choice for NASA and the nation.”
Boeing will receive $4.2 billion to build the CST-100 spacecraft,
which it has been working on since the initial phases of NASA’s
commercial crew program in 2010. The spacecraft will be launched on a
United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
“Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program,
and we’re honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy,” John
Elbon, Boeing vice president and general manager for space exploration
said in a company press release. “The CST-100 offers NASA the most
cost-effective, safe and innovative solution to U.S.-based access to
low-Earth orbit.”
SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion to build its Dragon V2 spacecraft,
an upgraded version of the Dragon spacecraft currently used to transport
cargo to and from the ISS. Dragon V2 will launch on the company’s
Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket.
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