SpaceX gets one manned mission order from NASA; set to bring astronauts to ISS in 2017

(Reuters/ Carlos Barria)

NASA recently awarded a contract to SpaceX for its Crew Dragon spacecraft to fly astronauts from Cape Cavernal to the International Space Station. Now, the private company has to ensure that it meets NASA's requirements before the scheduled flight in 2017. 

The announcement was made on NASA's website. According to the site, this is a significant step for the space agency, and that the upcoming 2017 launch is a two-fold mission. First, it will re-establish the U.S.' capability to ferry its own astronauts to the ISS; and second, it will give astronauts more to work on in the ISS. Right now, NASA doesn't have its own space vehicle and has been using Russia's Soyuz rocket to bring American astronauts to the station, and each flight reportedly costs millions. NASA is pegging that the Crew Dragon mission will end up costing less and will also give the astronauts more time to carry on their studies on the ISS. 

The plan for the upcoming mission is to have SpaceX's Crew Dragon bring, at the most, four NASA or NASA-affiliated astronauts and around 220 lbs. (100 kg) of cargo to the ISS. The ship will then remain docked on the space station for about 210 days as an emergency lifeboat. It will then return to Earth with the crew that's been relieved. 

NASA has contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing via the Commercial Crew Program. Under the program, the two companies are tasked with developing and manning spacecraft that can be used to bring astronauts to and from the ISS. The contracts that NASA and the two companies have engaged in ensure that the space agency will award at least four crewed missions to either Boeing or SpaceX. 

The latest contract awarded to SpaceX is actually the second order made; NASA has already placed an order with Boeing several months ago. But despite the head start the Chicago-based company got, no one really knows which of the two will be the first to begin their mission. NASA will reportedly decide later the exact launch dates of the missions.

Despite the alleged 2017 launch date, the two companies have to push in order to meet the deadline. Mission orders are typically given three years before the mission is set to be launched, to give the companies ample time to work on their spacecraft. At this point, Boeing has just started manufacturing the CST-100 Starliner vehicle it plans to use while Elon Musk's SpaceX is currently working on its Crew Dragon. 

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