NASA Orders Second SpaceX Crew Mission to International Space Station
Interior of crewed Dragon (Credit: SpaceX)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA took another important step Friday in returning U.S. astronaut launches from U.S. soil with the order of a second post-certification mission from commercial provider SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Commercial crew flights from Florida’s Space Coast to the International Space Station will restore America’s human spaceflight launch capability and increase the time U.S. crews can dedicate to scientific research, which is helping prepare astronauts for deep space missions, including the Journey to Mars.
“The order of a second crew rotation mission from SpaceX, paired with the two ordered from Boeing will help ensure reliable access to the station on American spacecraft and rockets,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “These systems will ensure reliable U.S. crew rotation services to the station, and will serve as a lifeboat for the space station for up to seven months.”
This is the fourth and final guaranteed order NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. Boeing received its two orders in May and December of 2015, and SpaceX received its first order in November 2015. Both companies have started planning for, building and testing the necessary hardware and assets to carry out their first flight tests, and ultimately missions for the agency.
At a later time, NASA will identify which company will fly the first post-certification mission to the space station. Each provider’s contract includes a minimum of two and a maximum potential of six missions.
SpaceX met the criteria for this latest award after it successfully completed interim developmental milestones and internal design reviews for its Crew Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and associated ground systems.
“We’re making great progress with Crew Dragon, with qualification of our docking adapter and initial acceptance testing of the pressure vessel qualification unit completed” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and chief operating officer. “We appreciate the trust NASA has placed in SpaceX with the order of another crew mission and look forward to flying astronauts from American soil next year.”
SpaceX is building four Crew Dragon spacecraft at its Hawthorne facility — two for qualification testing and two for flight tests next year. The company also is in the process of modifying Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from which the company will launch future crewed missions to the space station.
A standard commercial crew mission to the station will carry as many as four crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo, and remain at the station for as long as 210 days, available as an emergency lifeboat during that time.
“With the commercial crew vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX, we will soon add a seventh crew member to space station missions, which will significantly increase the amount of crew time to conduct research,” said Julie Robinson, NASA’s International Space Station chief scientist. “Given the number of investigations waiting for the crew to be able to complete their research, having more crew members will enable NASA and our partners to significantly increase the important research being done every day for the benefit of all humanity.”
Orders under the CCtCap contracts are made two to three years prior to actual mission dates in order to provide time for each company to manufacture and assemble the launch vehicle and spacecraft. Each company also must successfully complete a certification process before NASA will give the final approval for flight.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manages the CCtCap contracts and is working with each company to ensure commercial transportation system designs and post-certification missions will meet the agency’s safety requirements. Activities that follow the award of missions include a series of mission-related reviews and approvals leading to launch. The program also will be involved in all operational phases of missions.
For more information about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
31 responses to “NASA Orders Second SpaceX Crew Mission to International Space Station”
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“At a later time, NASA will identify which company will fly the first post-certification mission to the space station.”
I assume the choice will be based on their respective progress through the certification process.
“A standard commercial crew mission to the station will carry as many as four crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo …”
I’ve never understood that 220 lb. I thought SpaceX claimed that the D2 could be configured for seven crew members. Shouldn’t cutting three crew members, their couches, and their fraction of the life support capacity free up far more than 220 lb for cargo?
They’ve had problems making use of the mass capacity of the cargo Dragon, maybe they just expect typical cargo to be too bulky for much more than that when there’s four people packed inside as well. People have to not only fit, but move around inside in flight.
D2 can carry 7 PAX plus cargo mass, IF it fits inside or in the trunk. But CCtCap only calls for 4 PAX and 220 lbs. so there is no sense in hauling up extra sets of seats.
Plus as Mr. Huff says, NASA has more generous human ergonomic requirements than Soyuz or your average airline.
Perhaps the limitation lies more on the Starliner/cost-of-Atlas side of the equation, and has nothing to do with what Dragon can carry…just a thought.
Yup. To make it “fair” for “Starliner” and “Dream Chaser”.
Hopefully, b330 will be added as hab module and western crew will take 7.
Never gonna happen.
Why do you say that?
The ISS partners can barely cough up the money to keep operating the station as is. They aren’t going to pay for a huge expansion that not only would cost billions (its not just the module) but also increase the long-term costs of station keeping and put greater demands on the power and environmental controls.
Whoa, Big Fella. Then why is NASA requesting proposals regarding add-ons?
The RFP are for commercial applications of the ISS, not necessarily for new modules etc. If you read it, its more intended for small research experiments that use the interior bays or the exterior attachment points (the Kobe’s “porch”), not flying up whole new sections.
“Gerstenmaier suggested that a company might seek to install their own module at that port as a precursor for an independent station once the ISS is retired.”
Huh?
Wishful thinking. This is NASA talking about thinking about it.
Even if they could find a company with the resources to afford to build, test, and launch a full module, they would have to run thru a gauntlet of NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos red tape and feet dragging to get it approved. I think the Russians are the ones closest to adding a new module and even they are futzing about it. Something like the BEAM, a nanosat dispenser, or some other “stub” that uses a CBM is not the same as a BA or a new module.
“This is NASA talking about thinking about it.”
I like that line…but I’m guessing that you’re wrong on this one. We’ll just have to wait and see…
Sorry to rain on the space cadet parade, but someone has to be realistic here.
Well, James, you’re pretty darn sure on this one. But I’ve got Mike Suffredini in my corner. That puts the odds in my favor. He’s my kind of space cadet.
Russia is futzying about adding a module. NASA is not stopping them.
Russia is already planning to remove some of its section of the ISS and continue to use it after the rest of the ISS has been deorbited. The newest modules will form the core of this follow-on Russian space station.
Right. Makes sense to me, esp. in 2024.
But that should not impact BA or others adding a module to the ISS today and then separating them as well at a later time.
In fact, I would think that NASA wants these so that they are fully proven by 2024.
I don’t think there’s room anywhere on the ISS for a BA330. Where BEAM currently is has clearance issues with the partially-retracted solar arrays on Zarya and the Japanese Kibo module.
The only other location available would be Node 3 port, where PMA-3 is now. That location also has a clearance issue, to the ISS radiator arrays.
BA330 is meant to be free-flying anyway, so it might as well be flown that way from the start.
I gotta believe that Bigelow figured all of that out before he pitched his plan to NASA.
Presumably. I’ve confirmed that the location available to the commercial use project is Node 3 Aft (where BEAM is right now). So any module Bigelow would put there permanently will have to be smaller than a BA330. We may see a “Sundancer” like module.
The point was nobody had the money to expand the ISS in any significant way.
You mean like when NASA had the BEAM module built, tested and launched and attached to the ISS?
The Russians are closer to adding a module faster than BEAM?
BEAM was in the ISS pipeline for what, close to a decade before it actually flew? And is it a paying tenant of the ISS?
First off, NASA has asked DIRECTLY for an add-on to go where BEAM is currently at and will drop off in summer of 2018.
Secondly, if it costs Billions, then private space stations will NEVER get off the ground.
Third, BA-330 is supposed to have its own solar as well as radiator panels to support 6 ppl. Likewise, each unit is supposed to have its own life support.
Fourth, I would assume that ANY module that went in there would have to have all of that.
Fifth, NASA’s real reason for putting a private module on there, is to help a company out in getting started. The most complex issue is NOT laboratory, but full living hab.
Finally, if the module is quiet and has decent separation of quarters from other hab portions, then it should be possible for run say 3-5 ppl in 3-4 schedule rotations. And with 3-4 crew systems hooked up to the ISS, it would be easy enough to run 12-20 ppl.
BTW, if they move all of the quarters and exercise equipment out of the ISS and over to the hab, that opens up a lot of room for lab equipment.
Dream on if it makes you feel better.
So the ISS partners decided NOT to fund the ISS until 2024? Or another six full years of operations?
Operation, yes (and it was not a forgone approval). Expansion, no.
Big difference.
The interior looks pretty cool — kinda “2001“-ish.
Or Re-booted Star Trek.
It will be interesting to see what the actual flight interior looks like. Probably a lot more practical than slick.