NASA's Commercial Crew Program partnered with private companies SpaceX and Boeing to develop a cost-effective and safe way to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). After years of competition, SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon capsule in May, marking the first time NASA astronauts took off from U.S. soil since 2011. The program was initiated to reduce dependency on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which had become expensive, with costs increasing from $20 million to $90 million per seat.
SpaceX and Boeing were awarded $2.6 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, to develop their crew transportation systems. The contract allowed the companies to retain intellectual property rights and use their technology for other projects. Despite setbacks, including failed tests and rocket explosions, SpaceX is now in a strong position to deliver for NASA, with a faster timeline and more efficient technology.
The program has saved NASA an estimated $20-30 billion in taxpayer money, and the agency is already seeing benefits from the partnership. SpaceX and Boeing can also use their technology for other projects, and the program has helped the U.S. regain a significant share of the global commercial launch market. NASA is now partnering with the private sector for another venture, aiming to get people to the moon by 2024, with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics awarded contracts to develop lunar landers.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. NASA and SpaceX made history in May by launching the Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
2. The launch marked the first time NASA astronauts took off from U.S. soil since 2011.
3. The event also represented the first time a commercially designed and built spacecraft carried astronauts.
4. The Commercial Crew Program was structured as a multi-tiered competition between private companies.
5. The goal of the program was to get private sector companies to produce the most cost-effective, innovative, and safe way to get astronauts to the International Space Station.
6. SpaceX and Boeing beat out Sierra Nevada Corporation for the job.
7. For nearly a decade, SpaceX and Boeing have been building and testing their crew transportation systems.
8. SpaceX's successful launch in May marked a major milestone for the company, leaving Boeing to play catch-up.
9. The launch on May 30th is technically the last test flight before NASA can certify Crew Dragon for consistent, operational missions to the space station.
10. The test is scheduled to end on August 2nd with the return of NASA's astronauts to Earth.
11. Boeing has yet to complete a successful uncrewed test flight after it encountered some issues last year.
12. The Commercial Crew Program was born out of a prior initiative called the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program (COTS).
13. COTS began in the mid-2000s and was a push to see if private companies could develop spacecraft and deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
14. Two commercial partners were tapped for the job: SpaceX and Orbital ATK, a company now owned by Northrop Grumman.
15. COTS was a success and gave NASA the confidence that it needed to expand the commercial partnerships beyond ferrying cargo to ferrying astronauts.
16. After NASA ended the shuttle program in 2011, the US had a gap in its capability to launch its own astronauts.
17. The only other entity in the world that had an operating spacecraft capable of doing that was Russia.
18. NASA's Commercial Crew Program was initiated to reduce the cost of spaceflight and make it more routine.
19. NASA expects to pay SpaceX an average of about $55 million per seat and Boeing about $90 million per seat for the six round-trip missions to the ISS.
20. Boeing and NASA refuted the numbers, with Boeing stating that the company will fly the equivalent of a fifth passenger in cargo for NASA.
21. The per-seat pricing should be considered based on five seats, rather than the report's four-seat calculation.
22. SpaceX had previously lost two Falcon 9 rockets, one during a space station resupply mission in 2015 and another in 2016 that was supposed to launch Facebook's $200 million satellite into orbit.
23. Boeing also struggled, with a propellent leak found in the engine of the Starliner capsule during a launch abort test in 2018.
24. In 2019, Boeing hit a major speed bump with its orbital flight test, an important milestone to safely carry astronauts.
25. NASA is now recommending that Boeing make 80 changes to the Starliner before it's re-tested later this year.
26. NASA estimates that the Commercial Crew Program saved the agency somewhere between $20 billion and $30 billion of taxpayer money.
27. SpaceX and Boeing benefit from having a government agency foot the bill for the building and development of systems that they can use for other projects.
28. NASA makes up a significant portion of SpaceX's revenue due to the development contracts they have awarded the company over the years.
29. Space currently makes up only about five percent of Boeing's revenue, but that could change due to the company's current struggles.
30. NASA is already partnering with the private sector for another venture, getting people to the moon by 2024.
31. In April, the agency awarded contracts to SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Dynetics to begin development of lunar landers.
32. Boeing also bid but was not awarded a contract.