NASA awards more operational manned missions to SpaceX and Boeing
NASA today awarded four more operational manned missions to SpaceX and Boeing, bringing their total planned flights now to six each, not counting their first demonstration mission.
The additional flights will allow the commercial partners to plan for all aspects of these missions while fulfilling space station transportation needs. The awards do not include payments at this time. “Awarding these missions now will provide greater stability for the future space station crew rotation schedule, as well as reduce schedule and financial uncertainty for our providers,” said Phil McAlister, director, NASA’s Commercial Spaceflight Development Division.
NASA essentially has no choice. These spacecraft will be the only way to get astronauts to ISS after 2018, when our contract with the Russians expires.
Moreover, by awarding these contracts now, before the end of the Obama administration, NASA essentially locks them down before the new Trump administration can take power and kill them.
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NASA today awarded four more operational manned missions to SpaceX and Boeing, bringing their total planned flights now to six each, not counting their first demonstration mission.
The additional flights will allow the commercial partners to plan for all aspects of these missions while fulfilling space station transportation needs. The awards do not include payments at this time. “Awarding these missions now will provide greater stability for the future space station crew rotation schedule, as well as reduce schedule and financial uncertainty for our providers,” said Phil McAlister, director, NASA’s Commercial Spaceflight Development Division.
NASA essentially has no choice. These spacecraft will be the only way to get astronauts to ISS after 2018, when our contract with the Russians expires.
Moreover, by awarding these contracts now, before the end of the Obama administration, NASA essentially locks them down before the new Trump administration can take power and kill them.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
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You hint the Trump administration might want kill these missions. Doesn’t make much sense. Can you elaborate?
mpthompson: Sorry if I gave the impression that the Trump administration might want to kill these commercial missions. I personally doubt it. However, I do know how politics is done in Washington, and I am certain that the announcement of these operational contracts now was a decision by NASA management to guarantee these deals go through. Right now, they really do not know what a Trump administration might do. This helps place some certainty on their future policy and actions.
I see. Thanks for the clarification.
Trump is certainly a wild card. I sincerely hope that he and his administration may end up being the best friend commercial space may have in Washington. I guess we’ll find out in the coming months.
Fighting for commercial space against congress might’ve been the best thing Obama did. Although he did it only because it was the opposite standpoint of the neocons, it is maybe the only significant good part of his legacy that will survive his administration. He doesn’t seem to mention it in his braggings, though, because commercial space is not in line with leftist sentimentality of central government and anti-tech-that-destroys-our-environment-whatever at whom he now is looking for a job (after his 8 years of vacation).
“NASA essentially has no choice. These spacecraft will be the only way to get astronauts to ISS after 2018, when our contract with the Russians expires.”
Unquestionably true. It’s a little late to bail out now.
Of course, in a sense there *is* a choice, because there are two contractors, which gives some hedge against one of them running into serious problems. Which demonstrates the wisdom of NASA holding firm against congressional pressures to downselect to just one CCtCAP contractor.
Since this is the month for smooth transitions of power, let’s hope for a smooth transition from Russia to SpaceX and Boeing for manned flights to ISS.