Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
NASA has reportedly drawn up the first-ever contract with a private firm to send American astronauts into space, offering Boeing the opportunity to use its spacecraft on a crew rotation mission to the International Space Station in the second half of 2017.
According to Popular Science, the deal does not guarantee that the Chicago-based aerospace company will be the first non-governmental agency to transport US space agency personnel into orbit. Rather, it serves as notice that Boeing’s CST-100 crew capsule needs to be ready for liftoff in slightly over two years’ time.
A similar contract is expected to be offered to Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program rival, SpaceX, later on this year. SpaceX, which is already delivering cargo to the ISS, is currently safety testing its Crew Dragon capsule. The CST-100, on the other hand, is “practically still on the drawing boards.”
Boeing vs. SpaceX: The race is on!
In a statement, NASA said that while Boeing has received an order for its first crew rotation mission, its Elon Musk-owned competitor had successfully completed a pad abort test of its flight vehicle earlier this month. The agency said that it would determine which of the two firms will receive the honor of flying the first mission to the station at a later date.
“Final development and certification are top priority for NASA and our commercial providers, but having an eye on the future is equally important to the commercial crew and station programs,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “Our strategy will result in safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew missions.”
“We’re on track to fly in 2017, and this critical milestone moves us another step closer in fully maturing the CST-100 design,” added John Mulholland, Boeing’s vice president of Commercial Programs. “Our integrated and measured approach to spacecraft design ensures quality performance, technical excellence, and early risk mitigation.”
Orders issued under the NASA program’s contracts are made between two and three years before the actual missions in order to give each company the time needed to manufacture and assemble their respective launch vehicles and spacecraft, the agency said. Furthermore, each company will be required to complete the certification process before receiving final approval.
“A standard mission to the station will carry four NASA or NASA-sponsored crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo,” the agency explained. “The spacecraft will remain at the station for up to 210 days and serve as an emergency lifeboat during that time. Each contract includes a minimum of two and a maximum potential of six missions.”
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