Write a comment
NASA posted a formal request on a government website Wednesday, seeking companies that could provide astronaut transportation vehicles to the International Space Station by 2027.
SpaceX has provided such transport services with the Crew Dragon capsule since May 2020, while Boeing also holds a contract. But Boeing is four years behind schedule in delivering on its contract, as the compan NASA posted a formal request on a government website Wednesday, seeking companies that could provide astronaut transportation vehicles to the International Space Station by 2027.
SpaceX has provided such transport services with the Crew Dragon capsule since May 2020, while Boeing also holds a contract. But Boeing is four years behind schedule in delivering on its contract, as the company struggles to fix problems with its Starliner capsule.
"Depending on mission requirements, NASA may purchase single seats, multiple seats within one mission, or an entire mission," NASA said in a statement about the new request.
SpaceX and Boeing received multibillion-dollar contracts in 2014 to provide 12 trips to the space station, while a third provider, Sierra Nevada Corp., received funding to continue developing its proposed Dream Chaser space plane.
Nothing in the new request would prevent Boeing or SpaceX from continuing as contractors with NASA for its Commercial Crew Program, but NASA might include new providers.
When SpaceX delivered on its contract in 2020, the company helped NASA end a nine-year drought of astronaut launches from American soil. Before then, NASA spent years purchasing seats on Russian Soyuz capsules to reach the space station following the space shuttle's retirement in 2011.
Boeing's woes in the NASA program became when Starliner failed to reach the space station in a 2019 test flight.
The company blamed software errors for that failure. It was scheduled to launch its capsule again in August, but sticky valves inside the spacecraft delayed a new test flight. Boeing believes humidity contributed to the stuck valves, but the company said Tuesday it still was investigating the problem.
Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
|
| Tweet |
| Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. | ||
| SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly |  | SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
Boeing aims for unmanned Starliner test flight in first half of 2022
Washington (AFP) Oct 19, 2021
Boeing is aiming for a test flight of its unmanned CST-100 Starliner capsule in the first half of next year and a potential launch of its crewed spacecraft at the end of 2022, company officials said Tuesday. The CST-100 had been scheduled to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 3 but the flight was aborted just hours before launch because of problems with propulsion system valves. Boeing officials told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday that they w ... read more