Comments on: Cygnus completes mission to ISS https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/cygnus-completes-mission-to-iss/ Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:37:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Edward https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/cygnus-completes-mission-to-iss/#comment-240342 Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:37:30 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=30273#comment-240342 It is noteworthy that Cygnus and Dragon are taking the role of the now discontinued European ATV (the current flight being the last). After several companies competed with each other during the COTS portion of the program, these two companies won the Commercial Resupply Services contracts.

The ATV program took about 55,000 lbs to the ISS and cost $5 billion. During their CRS contract periods, Cygnus can take about 16,000 lbs (2,000 lbs per flight) for a cost of $2 billion, and Dragon can take 84,000 lbs (7,000 lbs per flight) for a cost of $1.6 billion (or $2 billion, if you choose to include development costs).

It looks like the commercial companies, which are new to this type of business, are already performing about as well as the older government agencies. Ain’t competition a nice thing?

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