NASA to add missions to SpaceX commercial crew contract
SpaceNews • • general
Key Points:
- NASA plans to add six post-certification missions to SpaceX’s commercial crew contract to ensure continued crew transportation to the ISS amid Boeing's delays and certification issues.
- SpaceX remains the only NASA-certified crew transportation system, prompting NASA to secure additional missions to maintain reliable crewed flights to the ISS through late 2030.
- Boeing's CST-100 Starliner has not yet been certified for crewed flights, and its cargo-only flight planned for this year is not currently scheduled, leading NASA to adjust mission allocations in favor of SpaceX.
- NASA is maintaining six-month crew rotation missions on the ISS to maximize station utilization, rather than extending missions to eight months, which would have reduced the total number of missions.
- The added missions to SpaceX’s contract will cover ISS operations through its planned retirement in late 2030, complementing existing missions through Crew-14 scheduled until fall 2027.