Boeing and SpaceX have been selected by Nasa to fly astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and back aboard their CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Nasa’s decision is in line with efforts to end the country’s dependence on Russian spacecraft by 2017.
Boeing’s fixed-price contract is valued at $4.2bn, while SpaceX’s at $2.6bn.
Nasa administrator Charlie Bolden said: "Turning over low-Earth orbit transportation to private industry will also allow Nasa to focus on an even more ambitious mission, sending humans to Mars."
Under the commercial crew transportation capability (CCtCap) contracts, Boeing and SpaceX will each conduct at least one crewed flight with Nasa astronaut aboard, to test and validate the rocket and spacecraft system can launch, manoeuvre in orbit, and dock to the ISS.
After the test programme is completed, the companies will each conduct at least two and up to six, crewed missions to the space station.
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By GlobalDataNasa said that the CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft will serve as a lifeboat for astronauts aboard the ISS.
The contracts are part of Nasa’s certification for human space transportation systems capable of carrying people into orbit.
Following the certification process, these systems will fly astronauts to the ISS and return them safely to Earth, which will increase station’s current crew of six thereby facilitating more research activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.
Image: An artist’s rendering of the International Space Station. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.
