Boeing, SpaceX to build spaceship to carry astronauts to ISS

[Buster's Uncle]

Boeing, SpaceX to build spaceship to carry astronauts to ISS
AFP
27 minutes ago






Washington (AFP) - Boeing and SpaceX will build the next generation of space vehicles that will carry US astronauts to low-Earth orbit and back, NASA said Tuesday.

The $6.8-billion contract announced by NASA administrator Charles Bolden at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will enable the United States to develop its own crew transport vehicles that could carry astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017, US officials said.


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-announcement-us-human-spaceflights-182413053.html

---

Sigh.  I had hoped that Sierra Nevada mini-shuttle would get a piece of the action...

[Buster's Uncle]

Boeing and SpaceX Will Send NASA Astronauts to Space
The Atlantic Wire
By Polly Mosendz  1 hour ago


Today, NASA held a press conference announcing they will work with Boeing and Elon Musk's Space X on their upgraded Commercial Crew Program. This program was formed "to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit."



AP PHOTO/JAE C. HONG


It will also end the United States' reliance on Russia for travel to the space station (Russia has not been all too kind about using their transport, they once suggested we use a trampoline to get to the station.) "The Greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space," said NASA officials. 

NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced the deal with Boeing and SpaceX, which "promises to give more people the opportunity to experience the exhilaration of spaceflight." This comes at quite the cost: NASA will spent a total $6.8 billion for the spacecraft. $4.2 billion will go to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX. 

The spacecrafts will allow astronauts to stay in orbit longer. The officials also stressed NASA's push to go to Mars. Bolden said,

They will test the systems needed to get to Mars – with missions to an asteroid and areas beyond the moon such as Lagrange points, where space observatories will be operating within our reach in the 2020s as we conduct the first deep space mission with astronauts since the Apollo moon landings.

We’ll conduct missions that will each set their own impressive roster of firsts. First crew to visit and take samples of an asteroid, first crew to fly beyond the orbit of the moon, perhaps the first crew to grow its own food in space — all of which will set us up for humanity’s next giant leap: the first crew to touch down and take steps on the surface of Mars.

Here are renderings of both SpaceX and Boeing in orbit:






Bolden noted he did not have a part in picking the finalists, instead, NASA veterans were the official selectors of the plans.


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-announces-deal-crew-transportation-200713910.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Boeing, SpaceX poised to build 'space taxis' for NASA
Reuters
By Irene Klotz and Andrea Shalal  1 hour ago


     
(Recasts with comments from U.S. Senator Nelson, adds SpaceX contracts)

CAPE CANAVERAL/WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - NASA will partner with Boeing and SpaceX to build commercially owned and operated "space taxis" to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, ending U.S. dependence on Russia for rides, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday.

The U.S. space agency also considered a bid by privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp., but opted to award long-time aerospace contractor Boeing and California's SpaceX with contracts potentially worth billions of dollars, to develop, certify and fly their seven-passenger capsules.

SpaceX is run by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, also the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors.

Nelson spoke on CNN ahead of a planned NASA news conference scheduled for later on Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The contract has taken on new urgency in recent months, given escalating tensions with Russia over its annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

Boeing's CST-100 spaceship would launch aboard Atlas 5 rockets, built by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. SpaceX, which already has a $1.3 billion NASA contract to fly cargo to the space station, intends to upgrade its Dragon freighter to carry astronauts.

Terms were not immediately disclosed. NASA has said that in addition to test flights, the awards would include options for between two and six operational missions.

Before the end of 2017, NASA wants to be flying astronauts commercially from the United States, ending Russia's monopoly on space station crew transport. The agency currently pays $70 million per person for rides on Russian Soyuz capsules, the only flights available for astronauts since the retirement of the U.S. space shuttles in 2011.

China, the only other country to fly people in orbit besides the United States and Russia, is not a member of the 15-nation space station partnership.

NASA has spent about $1.5 billion since 2010 investing in partner companies under its Commercial Crew program. Boeing and SpaceX have won most of NASA's development funds.

The Commercial Crew program is based on a successful predecessor public-private partnership that created two cargo lines to the station, a research laboratory that flies about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth. In addition to SpaceX, NASA has a $1.9 billion contract with Orbital Sciences Corp for resupply missions.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz in Cape Canaveral and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Ros Krasny, Jim Loney and Sandra Maler)


http://news.yahoo.com/boeing-spacex-poised-build-space-200143958.html

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA picked the two private spacecraft to replace the Space Shuttle
Vox
Updated by Joseph Stromberg on September 16, 2014, 4:26 p.m. ET@josephstrombergjoseph@vox.com



The International Space Station.  (Photo by Paolo Nespoli - ESA/NASA via Getty Images)



NASA has selected the two spacecraft that will replace the Space Shuttle — taking astronauts to the International Space Station beginning in 2017.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, NASA officials announced that both the SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 will move forward as part of the Commercial Crew Program. If successful, these will be the first private spacecraft to put humans in orbit.


If successful, they'll be the first private spacecraft to put humans in orbit


The two crafts were among three vehicles competing to replace the shuttle (the third was Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser space plane, which was not selected). Both are reusable capsules that are launched atop single-use rockets and can carry up to seven astronauts at once.

Since 2011, when the Space Shuttle program was retired, NASA has been entirely dependent on Russia for transporting its astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and it now pays $70.7 million for each one-way ticket.

NASA's plans originally called for a privately-developed American spacecraft to fill the void by 2015, but annual underfunding by Congress has delayed that to 2017 at the earliest. Recent tensions with Russia  have made the issue more urgent, and NASA administrators have called for more funding to ensure they hit the 2017 target date.

Currently, the plan is for both the SpaceX and Boeing crafts to continue testing over the next few years, and begin ferrying astronauts in 2017. As part of the initial contract, Boeing will receive $4.2 billion and SpaceX will get $2.6 billion to pay for the testing needed to certify the crafts for human flight, as well as a single crewed demonstration flight to the ISS for each craft. Here's a look at each of them.


SpaceX's Dragon V2

The Dragon V2 capsule, which SapceX hopes to use to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)


The startup SpaceX — founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk — has been using the initial version of its Dragon capsule to ship cargo to the space station since May 2012. It unveiled the upgraded version, equipped to carry people, this past May.

Both versions of the Dragon are lifted to space by one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets. Currently, the rockets are not reusable (though SpaceX eventually hopes to change this), but the capsules are — and the new version of the Dragon can actually land on Earth using a set of thrusters, instead of crash-landing in the ocean.

Someday, SpaceX hopes to use the Dragon to take astronauts to other destinations — perhaps space tourists visiting inflatable space stations in development by the Bigelow Aerospace. Some have suggested that a modified Dragon could even be used for a mission to Mars .

In the meantime, though, SpaceX will continue using the Dragon to carry cargo to the International Space Station — beginning with a fourth cargo mission this weekend — followed by testing of the crewed Dragon V2 over the next three years.


Boeing's CST-100

A rendering of Boeing's CST-100. (NASA)


On the whole, Boeing's CST-100 capsule is relatively similar to the Dragon. It's a pyramid-shaped capsule that will be launched to space atop a rocket.

Initially, this would be the Atlas V rocket — which was developed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin and has been putting satellites in space since 2002 — but the CST-100 could eventually be compatible with other rockets as well. Musk has criticized Boeing for relying on Russian-made engines in launching the rocket, and in response, Boeing is reportedly in talks with the space startup Blue Origin to develop an American-made replacement engine.

The CST-100 capsule isn't quite as far along as the Dragon: Boeing has conducted some tests of the capsule, dropping it from 14,000 feet over the Nevada desert, but it hasn't been put into space yet, let alone orbit. However, several further launch tests are planned for the next few years.

Boeing also hopes to eventually use the capsule for space tourists, and developed it in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace partly for this reason.


http://www.vox.com/2014/9/16/6249095/nasa-spacex-boeing-space-shuttle

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA Awards Boeing & SpaceX Big Contracts To Build ISS 'Space Taxis'
The Huffington Post
By  Macrina Cooper-White | Posted: 09/16/2014 4:36 pm EDT  Updated: 17 minutes ago






NASA has chosen SpaceX and the Boeing Corporation to build spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, the space agency announced in a press conference held today at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The agency will award a combined $6.8 billion to the firms for the first phase of the program.

"This is the fulfillment of the commitment President Obama made to end our reliance on the Russians," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said during the conference.

In a blog post published in conjunction with the announcement, he added, "NASA has set the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of human space flight."

The so-called space taxis are expected to provide an alternative to the Russia's Soyuz capsules, which since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011 have been the only ride for astronauts bound to and from the ISS.

Chicago-based Boeing, a long-term partner of NASA, has designed a seven-passenger spacecraft called the CST-100.

SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, Calif., has been ferrying cargo but no crew members to the ISS since 2012. The firm is expected to produce a seven-passenger version of its Dragon capsule.

SpaceX is led by CEO Elon Musk, who also owns electric car company Tesla Motors.

The agency hopes to send the first crews up in 2017, the Associated Press reported.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/16/nasa-boeing-spacex-iss-space-taxis_n_5830886.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX, Boeing will carry astronauts to orbit for NASA
Gigaom
By Signe Brewster  57 mins ago   


Summary:
NASA will award $6.8 billion in initial contracts to the first-ever space taxis made by private companies. They will lift the U.S.’s reliance on Russia to get astronauts into space.



A rendering of the Dragon V2 landing with its new type of thrusters.  photo: SpaceX



Beginning in 2017, U.S. astronauts will no longer be carried to space by Russian spacecraft. Instead, private spaceflight companies SpaceX and Boeing will transport them in return for contracts worth $6.8 billion.

“Today’s announcement sets the stage for what will be the most ambitious, exciting chapter in the history of NASA,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden said at a press conference. “This is the fulfillment of the commitment President Obama made to return human spaceflight launches to U.S. soil.”

Boeing will receive $4.2 billion in initial contracts, while SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion. The companies will be expected to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station and then return them to Earth. NASA currently pays Russia $70.7 million per astronaut seat — a deal threatened by a soured relationship between the two countries.





SpaceX will carry astronauts on its Dragon space capsule, which it already uses to deliver cargo to the ISS. Boeing will use the CST-100. Both companies will launch from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

NASA retired its shuttle program in 2011 and transferred cargo delivery responsibilities to private companies. The move was meant to free up NASA’s time to focus on space exploration. Bolden said the new space ferry contracts are just one stepping stone on NASA’s way to flying humans to Mars.


https://gigaom.com/2014/09/16/spacex-boeing-will-carry-astronauts-to-orbit-for-nasa/?utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_source=yfinance&utm_content=spacex-boeing-will-carry-astronauts-to-orbit-for-nasa_873645

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX, Boeing land NASA contracts to carry astronauts to space
Los Angeles Times
By Lauren Raab,  Melody Petersen  September 16, 2014, 2:28 PM



SpaceX's Dragon V2 capsule is designed to carry seven people into space and be reusable. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)



In a move that returns the U.S. to manned spaceflight, NASA has awarded Boeing and California-based SpaceX with contracts worth a total of $6.8 billion to launch astronauts into space..

The contracts  mark a significant shift for the space agency that grounded the space shuttle and relies on Russian spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Awarding the contracts -- one to an aerospace stalwart and another to an upstart -- also marked new realities of  funding space missions: They must be affordable.

And it returns Southern California, once the epicenter for Apollo and space shuttle development, to the forefront of spaceflight.

The contracts landed by Hawthorne-based SpaceX and Chicago-based Boeing Co. are aimed at continuing the final development of spacecraft that will take astronauts to the space station.

Under the contracts, the companies will have a goal of performing a test flight to the space station with a NASA astronaut in 2017.

SpaceX, which will use the Dragon V2 capsule it unveiled in May, is getting a contract worth $2.6 billion, and Boeing, which will use the CST-100 capsule it has been developing, is getting a contract worth $4.2 billion, NASA said.

The contract amounts were based on the companies' proposals, but both have the same requirements, the agency said.

Each contract covers development and certification efforts and a crewed demonstration flight, as well as special studies and a maximum of six missions, the agency said.

Since NASA retired its space shuttles in 2011, it has been paying the Russian government about $70 million a seat to transport U.S. astronauts to the space station. That arrangement, which was always intended to be temporary, has become strained in recent months amid tensions between Russia and the West over the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.

“Today we are one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. And having private companies handle transporting astronauts in low-Earth orbit, he said, “will allow NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission: sending humans to Mars.”

SpaceX, whose name is short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is helmed by entrepreneur Elon Musk. It already has a $1.6-billion contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station.

Boeing, which has thousands of employees in Southern California, has built nearly every manned spacecraft in U.S. history.

Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., which has been building a space plane that closely resembles a miniature space shuttle, had also been in the running for the NASA contracts awarded Tuesday.

Staff writer W.J. Hennigan contributed to this report.


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nasa-spacex-boeing-contract-20140916-story.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Boeing, SpaceX Win Space Taxi Contracts
Business Insider
By Ajai Raj  1 hour ago



In a few years, for the first time in history, the US will have a way for astronauts — and maybe even civilians —  to go into space. This is the first time since the Space Shuttle was retired that NASA will have their own ride up to the ISS.

In a live press conference, NASA announced the winners of a $6.8 billion in contracts to create a spaceship to shuttle humans to outer space — essentially space taxis. In the contract, Boeing will receive a contract for $4.2 billion for development of its CST-100 capsule, and SpaceX will receive a contract for $2.6 billion for Dragon 2.

"Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and the hard work of our NASA and industry teams, today we are one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation’s sole reliance on Russia by 2017," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post following the announcement. " Turning over low-Earth orbit transportation to private industry also will allow NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission – sending humans to Mars."

These contracts are not only lucrative but historic, as Boeing and SpaceX will play a pivotal role in the future of manned space travel, by establishing what will essentially be a taxi service to and from low-Earth orbit and eliminating America's reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets.

This last factor is especially important in light of escalating tensions between the US and Russia over the power struggle in the Ukraine.

Boeing and SpaceX will not only provide transportation for astronauts to and from the International Space Station, but will, in principle, be free to sell a ride to low-Earth orbit to anyone willing to pay for it.

These awards are the culmination of a race that began in 2010, when NASA began awarding funding to private companies to develop a capsule capable of carrying astronauts into orbit and back. Unlike previous NASA programs, in which NASA handled all of the work and the funding, the Commercial Crew program entails a partnership between government and industry, in which NASA set the final safety and functionality requirements for the transportation system, but left it to the companies themselves to figure out the best way to meet those requirements.


http://news.yahoo.com/live-nasa-announces-winner-commercial-200246747.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Blasting Off Without Putin: NASA Orders Spaceships From Boeing, SpaceX
BusinessWeek
By Justin Bachman    September 16, 2014 



SpaceX Dragon Version 2  Courtesy SpaceX



In three years, U.S. astronauts will no longer be dependent on Vladimir Putin’s space program for rides to the International Space Station. The new all-American space taxis will be made by Boeing (BA) and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The $6.8 billion in commercial contracts awarded by NASA on Tuesday will fund the first vehicles for U.S. astronauts that won’t be designed and built by the federal government. The program is also intended to spark America’s commercial space-flight industry and lay the groundwork for NASA’s future deep-space exploration and a manned journey to Mars.

Yet looming large over NASA’s announcement was the Russian president, making for a strange return of Cold War space-race tropes. The recent fighting in eastern Ukraine and expanding sanctions from the U.S. and Europe have made it awkward to pay Russia about $71 million each time a NASA astronaut catches a ride on a Soyuz spacecraft. The Obama administration wants to end that arrangement as quickly as possible. In April, a Russian official angered by the sanctions suggested that the U.S. might need to find an enormous trampoline to keep accessing the space station.

Boeing received $4.2 billion for its CST-100 craft, while SpaceX will get $2.6 billion to prepare its Dragon Version 2 vehicle. Each spacecraft will conduct as many as six manned missions to the ISS, including a certification flight set for 2017.



Boeing CST-100  Courtesy Boeing


Boeing was the only bidder to complete previous phase deadlines on time, spokeswoman Kelly Kaplan said in an e-mail. “I can tell you we submitted the cost for what NASA wanted us to deliver and that’s the amount NASA awarded us,” she said. In a statement, Musk said the company is “deeply honored” by NASA’s trust. “We welcome today’s decision and the mission it advances with gratitude and seriousness of purpose,” he said.

A third spacecraft proposal, Dream Chaser, from Nevada-based Sierra Nevada, was not selected.


http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-16/blasting-off-without-putin-nasa-orders-ships-from-boeing-spacex?campaign_id=yhoo

[Buster's Uncle]

Boeing and SpaceX Win NASA Commercial Crew Contracts... but Did Boeing Still Beat SpaceX?
The Motley Fool
By Rich Smith | September 16, 2014


Bad news for Russia today: Roscosmos's days of being able to charge $70.7 million a head for ferrying U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station will soon come to an end.

But for Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) and SpaceX, it's nothing but good news. On Tuesday, NASA awarded these two companies contracts to build Commercial Crew transports to return America to space. Sometime in 2017, NASA expects both companies to begin launching astronauts into orbit.



International Space Station. Photo: NASA.


On Tuesday at 4 p.m., NASA made the announcement. The Commercial Crew Program will be performed by America's biggest space firm -- that would be Boeing -- and by one of its smallest, SpaceX. Boeing will build CST-100 space capsules for the mission, while SpaceX will do the work with its new Dragon V2 crew capsule.

As NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden put it: "Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, the hard work of our NASA and industry teams, and support from Congress, today we are one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia by 2017. 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."



Boeing's CST-100 space capsule (left) and SpaceX's Dragon V2 (right). Source: NASA.


What NASA's news means to investors

Given the recent tensions over Ukraine, that's key for America -- removing the reliance on Russian rockets to get our astronauts out to the ISS. But what does it mean for today's NASA contract winners?

Although two companies "won" the contract, the race didn't end in a tie, exactly. According to NASA, Boeing's $4.2 billion contract for Commercial Crew transport is about 61.5% bigger than the $2.6 billion award that SpaceX won. Yet, according to NASA, both companies will be performing the same tasks for these vastly different sums. By 2017, each Commercial Crew contract winner will:
•Conduct "at least one crewed flight test per company with at least one NASA astronaut aboard to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station."
•Prove that all systems aboard its respective spacecraft "perform as expected."
•"Once each company's test program has been completed successfully and its system achieves NASA certification, each contractor will conduct at least two, and as many as six, crewed missions to the space station."

By all accounts, then, Boeing and SpaceX will be doing the same work for NASA -- yet Boeing will be paid 61.5% more for its work than will SpaceX. In pure dollar terms, therefore, it's possible that Elon Musk fans will view today's announcement as unfair to SpaceX.

But perhaps they shouldn't.


Caveats and provisos

Key to why Boeing's larger award might not necessarily be a good thing for Boeing are three little words contained in NASA's news release: "maximum potential value." As in, the most Boeing might make off of the Commercial Crew contract is $4.2 billion, and the most SpaceX might earn is $2.6 billion.

There's no guarantee that NASA will hire Boeing (or SpaceX, for that matter) to run the full complement of six space missions each. One (or both) spaceships could fail to perform as promised, for example. Or one spaceship may simply prove to be a better bargain for NASA.

If we assume that the contract values derive directly from the prices that Boeing and SpaceX bid for the work, it seems SpaceX is offering to send astronauts into space for much, much less money than Boeing requires. This suggests that -- unless SpaceX has lowballed NASA on its bid -- Boeing may need to cut costs dramatically in order to remain price competitive with SpaceX going forward.

Long story short? Boeing won the first leg of this race, claiming a prize 61.5% bigger than SpaceX's. But as the Commercial Crew contract evolves from a sprint into a marathon, SpaceX's cheaper spaceship gives it the advantage to win more and more contracts in the future.



SpaceX Falcon 9 will carry the Dragon V2 into orbit in 2017 -- and perhaps for years to come. Photo: SpaceX.


http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/09/16/boeing-and-spacex-win-nasa-commercial-crew-contrac.aspx

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA taps SpaceX, Boeing to carry astronauts to space
In the return of human space flight for the US, NASA awards both private aerospace companies a combined total of $6.8 billion.
CNET
by  Dara Kerr/September 16, 2014 2:03 PM PDT



Boeing's CST-100 will be bringing US astronauts to the International Space Station.  Boeing



In a surprise move, NASA picked both Boeing and SpaceX to be the first private companies to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. The agency announced Tuesday that the aerospace companies were awarded contracts worth a combined total of $6.8 billion.

"We know going to space is hard," NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Kathy Lueders said during a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Tuesday. "We are counting on them to deliver our most precious cargo."



SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Dragon V2 in May 2014.  Tim Stevens/CNET


Chicago-based Boeing and Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX beat their other competitors for the NASA contract, which entails building space taxis that will take astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit. The new contract is essential since NASA shut down its Space Shuttle program in 2011.

The spacecraft to be used by NASA are Boeing's CST-100 and SpaceX's Dragon V2. Both spacecraft can carry a crew of seven astronauts and launch on a variety of rockets. Boeing will receive $4.2 billion and SpaceX will get $2.6 billion. NASA said the difference in the amount of the contracts is based on the companies' proposals.

"Today we're unveiling two new spacecraft," astronaut and former ISS Expedition crew member Mike Fincke said during the press conference. "It boggles the mind to imagine the possibilities of what we're going to accomplish."

Over the next couple of years, both Boeing and SpaceX will go through NASA's certification reviews and rigorous testing to ensure that the spacecraft can safely transport people to and from space.

"The challenge of a CDR [Critical Design Review] is to ensure all the pieces and sub-systems are working together," Boeing Commercial Crew Program manager John Mulholland said in a statement. "Integration of these systems is key. Now we look forward to bringing the CST-100 to life."

According to NASA, the first flights under the new contracts could take place as early as mid-2017. During Tuesday's news conference, agency administrators seemed confident that these awards are the first step toward commercial flights to space for all members of the public.

Shuttling regular people to space is one of SpaceX's main objectives. The company's CEO and chief designer Elon Musk has said his ultimate goal is to one day see humans living on other planets.

"SpaceX is deeply honored by the trust NASA has placed in us," Musk said in a statement sent to CNET. "We welcome today's decision and the mission it advances with gratitude and seriousness of purpose. It is a vital step in a journey that will ultimately take us to the stars and make humanity a multi-planet species."


http://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-taps-spacex-boeing-to-carry-astronauts-to-space/#ftag=YHF65cbda0

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA Picks SpaceX, Boeing to Fly US Astronauts on Private Spaceships
SPACE.com
by Mike Wall, Senior Writer  2 hours ago



NASA has picked SpaceX's Dragon Version 2 manned spacecraft (left) and Boeing's CST-100 space capsule to fly American astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil for the first time since the shuttle fleet's retirement in 2011



American astronauts will soon have new homegrown rides into space.

After a four-year competition, NASA has tapped the commerical spaceflight companies SpaceX and Boeing to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil by 2017, agency officials announced today (Sept. 16). If all goes according to plan, the two companies will reduce or end NASA's dependence on Russia for its orbital taxi service. Russia's Soyuz has been NASA's only crew access to space since the space shuttle fleet retired in 2011.

"Today's announcement sets the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human spaceflight," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters today.

The choice reflects a melding of old and new; Boeing has been an aerospace mainstay for decades, while billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk founded SpaceX just a dozen years ago, in 2002.


Filling the shuttle's shoes

SpaceX and Boeing are splitting NASA's $6.8 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability award, or CCtCap, the latest in a series of contracts set up in 2010 to encourage the development of private American manned spaceships. SpaceX will get $2.6 billion and Boeing will receive $4.2 billion, officials said.

NASA is looking to the private sector to fill the crew-carrying shoes of the space shuttle fleet, which was retired in 2011 after 30 years of orbital service. For the past three years, the agency has relied on Russian Soyuz capsules to fly its astronauts to and from space — recently, at a cost of more than $70 million per seat.

NASA officials have said they want at least one American commercial vehicle to be up and running by late 2017. A domestic capability to and from low-Earth orbit could not only cut costs but also free the agency to work on getting people to more distant and difficult destinations such as Mars, Bolden said.

Four companies have been major players in NASA's ongoing commercial crew competition: SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada. SpaceX and Boeing are building capsules called Dragon and the CST-100, respectively. Blue Origin has been developing a conical craft called the Space Vehicle, while Sierra Nevada's entry was a space plane called Dream Chaser.

Like SpaceX, Blue Origin is led by a billionaire — in this case, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.

Today's announcement apparently takes Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada out of the mix, but it doesn't eliminate competition from the commercial crew program. Under the CCtCap contracts, both Boeing and SpaceX will be required to go through a rigorous certification process, which will include at least one manned demonstration mission to the space station, NASA officials said.

"NASA is committed to ensuring these systems are held to the same rigorous safety standards as previous human spaceflight programs," said NASA commercial crew program manager Kathy Lueders.

After completing certification, Dragon and the CST-100 will each fly at least two, and perhaps as many as six, crewed NASA missions to and from the space station, Lueders added. Each of these crewed flights will carry four astronauts.

NASA will continue using both capsules as long as they meet the agency's requirements, Bolden said.


Meet Dragon and the CST-100

Both Dragon and the CST-100 are reusable vehicles designed to carry seven passengers. (CST-100's name, incidentally, derives from "Crew Space Transportation" and 100 kilometers, or 62 miles — the traditional altitude boundary that marks the beginning of outer space.)

Dragon is an upgraded, manned version of the robotic capsule SpaceX uses to fly cargo missions to the space station under a separate, $1.6 billion NASA contract. The crew capsule will ride to space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, as the cargo variant does.

The CST-100, meanwhile, will be lofted by United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket. The Atlas 5 currently uses a Russian RD-180 engine, but that may change soon; United Launch Alliance — a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed-Martin — is reportedly tapping Blue Origin to build a new, homegrown engine for the rocket.

Both capsules will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, officials said.


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-picks-spacex-boeing-fly-us-astronauts-private-212242523.html

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX and Boeing Chosen to Taxi NASA Crews into Space
Boldride
By Zach Doell  1 hour ago



It might have just been a short press conference on your average Tuesday afternoon. But for America’s legions of space-travel enthusiasts, it might as well have been the Fourth of July.

NASA officials have confirmed that both SpaceX – Elon Musk’s interstellar relative of Tesla – and Boeing have been awarded significant government contracts to further the development of their NASA-contracted Commercial Crew Program spacecraft, a program which seeks to make space travel to the International Space Station more affordable and accessible through the expertise of private companies.





Over the next three years, SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion and Boeing will receive $4.2 billion to finish development, complete testing, and certify their respective spacecraft. In order to gain certification, the craft must meet a substantial list of criteria as well as complete one space flight with NASA crew members onboard.

SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100, effectively space taxis, will eventually open the door for more non-astronauts to get the chance to reach outer space — and as the speakers during the conference noted on multiple occasions — without Russian aid. A seat on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft costs around $70 million.





NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also announced “the nation is going to Mars” quite emphatically, and mentioned information about NASA’s own Orion space program, which looks beyond the ISS and targets deep-space travel.

By 2017, SpaceX and Boeing are expected to complete their demonstration flights to the International Space Station and will eventually complete up to six manned missions to the ISS. SpaceX already sends cargo to the ISS aboard unmanned versions of its Dragon, so if it were a ‘space race’…Elon Musk is winning.


http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-boeing-chosen-taxi-nasa-crews-space-221051990.html

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA Partners With Boeing And SpaceX To Send Astronauts Up In Space Taxis
TechCrunch
Posted 3 hours ago by Sarah Buhr (@sarahbuhr)






NASA has announced a deal with SpaceX and Boeing to build space taxis to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. This deal will end NASA’s reliance on expensive Russian crew transport by 2017. The cost was a whopping $71 million per seat. However, the rising tensions in Ukraine may have also been a factor in the push for U.S. contracts.

It’s still not clear which company is going to get to command the first mission to carry humans into low-Earth orbit on a spacecraft, but according to NASA, the vehicles chosen will either be Boeing’s CST-100 or SpaceX’s Dragon. The total potential contract value is $4.2 billion for Boeing and $2.6 billion for SpaceX.

NASA also considered a bid from privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp. but went with Boeing and SpaceX instead. It should be noted that Boeing and SpaceX have won most of NASA’s development funds.

SpaceX already has a $1.3 billion NASA contract to fly cargo to the space station. SpaceX will now upgrade its Dragon freighter and is expected to launch on top of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting outpost this week, according to Space.com. It will be packed with more than 5,000 lbs of materials for the crew – including the first ever 3D printer in space.
 
NASA also has a $1.9 billion contract for resupply missions with Orbital Sciences Corp.

Here’s a video of what could potentially be the first ever space taxi, the SpaceX Dragon, for reference:

SpaceX Dragon version 2 to Transport U.S. Astronauts to the International Space Station

And here’s one for the Boeing CST-100:

Boeing CST-100 to Transport U.S. Astronauts to the International Space Station

http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/16/nasa-partners-with-boeing-and-spacex-to-send-astronauts-up-in-space-taxis/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000591

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA picks Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts
Associated Press
By Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer  1 hour ago






CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil.

On Tuesday, the space agency picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station in the next few years.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named the winners of the competition at Kennedy Space Center, next door to where the launches should occur in a few years. The wall behind him was emblazoned with the words "Launch America" and "Commercial crew transportation/The mission is in sight."

"I want you to look behind me," Bolden said, pointing both thumbs to the big, bright logos. "I'm giddy today, I will admit."

The deal will end NASA's expensive reliance on Russia to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first launch from Cape Canaveral, but stressed it will not sacrifice safety to meet that date.

NASA ended up going with a blend of old and new space: big traditional Boeing, which helped build the space station and prepped the space shuttles, and smaller, scrappier upstart SpaceX. Just 12 years old, the California-based SpaceX already is delivering supplies to the space station — its crew capsule is a version of its cargo carrier.

NASA will pay Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to certify, test and fly their crew capsules. The two contracts call for at least two and as many as six missions for a crew of four as well as supplies and scientific experiments, said NASA's Kathy Lueders, commercial crew program manager. The spacecraft will double as emergency lifeboats at the orbiting outpost.

SpaceX billionaire founder and chief executive, Elon Musk, was elated by Tuesday's news, as were Boeing's top managers.



SpaceX CEO Elon Musk poses by the Dragon V2 spacecraft after it was unveiled in Hawthorne, California May 29, 2014. Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, on Thursday unveiled an upgraded passenger version of the Dragon cargo ship NASA buys for resupply runs to the International Space Station. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)


"Deeply honored and appreciative of the trust that NASA has placed in SpaceX for the future of human spaceflight," Musk said in a tweet.

Noted Boeing's John Elbon, vice president and general manager of space exploration: "Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program, and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy."

The third major contender, Sierra Nevada Corp., had the most novel entry, a mini-shuttle named Dream Chaser that it was developing in Colorado.

NASA officials declined to elaborate on the decision and why Sierra Nevada lost out. In a statement, Sierra Nevada said it would wait to hear NASA's rationale before commenting further on the options for its spacecraft. While disappointed that it wasn't selected, the company said it "commends NASA for initiating the effort."

U.S. astronauts have been riding Russian rockets ever since NASA's space shuttles retired in 2011. The latest price tag is $71 million per seat; NASA puts at least four of its astronauts on a Russian Soyuz every year. SpaceX has indicated its seats will cost $20 million apiece.

"From day one, the Obama administration has made it very clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space," Bolden told reporters.

The commercial crew program follows the successful cargo delivery effort underway for the past two years, also under NASA contract. The objective, for years, has been for NASA to hand space station flights to private companies and focus on getting astronauts into true outer space, with destinations such as asteroids and Mars. NASA is prepping its first-ever Orion deep-space exploration capsule for an unmanned test flight in December.

Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — SpaceX for short — became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and retrieve it in 2010. The SpaceX Dragon capsule made its first space station trip, with astronaut supplies, in 2012.



In this undated image provided by NASA, astronaut Randy Bresnik prepares to enter The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, NASA will announce which one or two private companies wins the right to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. The deal will end NASA's expensive reliance on Russian crew transport. The contenders include SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corp., and Boeing. (AP Photo/NASA)


The Dragon cargo carrier has been enhanced to carry as many as seven astronauts. It's known as Dragon v2 — version two.

Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, which also makes unmanned space station shipments, did not vie for crew-carrying privileges.

Boeing's entry was also a capsule, called CST-100. The letters stand for Crew Space Transportation, and the number refers to 100 kilometers or 62 miles, the official start of space. Boeing will use a former shuttle hangar at Kennedy to build the capsules.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Boeing alone will add 550 jobs to Cape Canaveral, welcome news for a region still struggling economically from the shuttle shutdown.

Both spacecraft will meet rigorous safety standards for the astronauts who will fly on them, officials stressed. CST-100 will fly atop an Atlas V rocket, while SpaceX will use its own Falcon 9 rocket. NASA astronaut Mike Fincke noted that while the capsules may be small, they're carrying "big expectations."

NASA paid each of these three major contenders hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to spur development.

The differing amounts of these two new contracts were based on each company's proposal, Lueders said.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company in Washington state received NASA funding in the early rounds of competition, then said it would continue working on its own, unfunded by the government. The company had given sparse details about its progress and intent.

Rocket maker United Launch Alliance, which is behind the Atlas V, scheduled a news conference on Wednesday with Bezos to discuss a possible collaboration. The company has been under pressure, given the political tension between the two countries, to come up with a backup for the Russian-built main engine in the Atlas V.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

Sierra Nevada: http://tinyurl.com/mqv9md9

Boeing: http://tinyurl.com/qjx5p9u

Blue Origin: http://www.blueorigin.com/


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-announcing-commercial-crew-winners-162411021.html