NASA Awards SpaceX $1.4 Billion Worth of Additional Crewed Missions to the ISS.

 

NASA has announced that Space Exploration Technologies Corporation will receive five new missions (SpaceX). As part of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract, the US Space Agency announced in a press release on Thursday that the missions will aid in crew transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX will launch these five crewed trips to the ISS by the end of the decade. NASA and SpaceX have inked a $1.4 billion (about Rs. 11,140 crore) contract for seven flights.

Under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract, SpaceX has committed to completing fourteen missions for NASA by 2030. NASA has officially announced the addition of SpaceX's Crew-10, Crew-11, Crew-12, Crew-13, and Crew-14 flights.

The contract price will include all essential expenses, such as "ground, launch, in-orbit, and return and recovery operations, cargo transportation for each trip, and a lifeboat capability while attached to the International Space Station."

SpaceX was awarded the CCtCap contract for the first time in 2014. In a public-private collaboration, NASA also shared this contract with Boeing, a commercial organization.

While Boeing has continually encountered difficulties in developing its Starliner space capsule, SpaceX has been awarded NASA contracts. NASA's Crew Dragon capsule has completed five crewed trips since 2020.