Boeing, SpaceX Race to Station

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Boeing, SpaceX Race to Station

*NOTE: While NASA has awarded this contract, NASA has instructed Boeing and SpaceX to stop performance on the contract while the GAO resolves a protest.*

NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) remains a trendsetter in human spaceflight with the Sept. 16 naming of two companies to build the next generation of American space systems capable of carrying astronauts into low-Earth orbit. The program retained the advantages of competition by laying out criteria that permits each design to progress on its own merits through the rigorous demands of manufacturing, testing and certification.

Boeing and SpaceX each was awarded a contract to complete designs of the CST-100/ United Launch Alliance Atlas V and Crew Dragon/Falcon 9 v1.1 integrated systems, respectively, under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability known as CCtCap. The goal of the contract is to complete the certification efforts in 2017.

Read more...