NASA Outsources Space Flight to SpaceX and Boeing
It looks like NASA has signaled that it is permanently out of direct space involvement. It has indicated its support for Elon Musk's SpaceX space exploration effort as well that of Boeing space vehicles being developed with a $6.8 billion combined financial award.
The financial award doesn't come without some strings attached though including giving NASA access to some of the future space flights using either the Boeing CST-100 module or the SpaceX Dragon V2 space vehicles. Either space vehicle can accommodate seven astronauts and be launched into space using a number of different rocket configurations where the space vehicle sits atop of the rocket.
Investment Without Direct Risk
The financial award is split dependent on the number of trips either NASA or Boeing space vehicles will take into space which carry NASA cargo with them. Boeing will get $4.2 billion and SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion. This will put NASA back into the human space flight “business” but perhaps without the responsibility for any blunders or mishaps along the way as happened with two of the previous Shuttle launches. Depending on the level of control they have for their chosen flights and its cargo, that may be a sweet deal for the team at NASA.
SpaceX Beats Rivals To Deal
The deal for SpaceX represents something of a scoop for the company as other space ventures such as Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic were thought to be looking for a deep-pocketed customer like NASA as well. It also gives the original co-founder of PayPal, Elon Musk, much needed credibility for his space endeavors which really until successfully launched, deployed into space and back safely to the Earth will likely not be taken 100% seriously as a credible option. With NASA behind them, individual buyers for space travel tourism can take confidence in that belief by the familiar space agency in the USA.
New Spacecraft and Testing
Two new spacecraft were revealed by Mike Fincke who is a former ISS Expedition crew member and who presented information about the new space craft at a recent press conference.
SpaceX and Boeing will be going through a battery of tests and certification reviews for their respective space vehicles over the next two years.
The Critical Design Review is seen as an effective way to ensure that sub-systems and the Boeing craft as a whole, will function correctly as it is designed to do. The systems need to be fully integrated according to John Mulholland, the Boeing Commercial Crew Program manager. Boeing had expected space tourism to begin in 2015 but if the testing phase takes a couple of years then that date may need to be pushed back to 2017.
New Human Space Flight
NASA have confirmed that they are contracted on flights starting in the middle of 2017. The space agency were confident that this funding would ensure the beginning important next steps towards commercial space flights for the public are taken.
Elon Musk of SpaceX has stated that apart from getting regular Joes into space, he would also like to see human beings living on another planet some day. This was seen as rather far-fetched when it was stated previously but now does start to look a little more likely every day.
Musk commented recently about the NASA contract stating that it was a good decision for their mission which they take extremely seriously. A crucial step that will put travelers into space and ultimately create a multi-planet human population.
