NASA will reward SpaceX with three additional Crew Dragon flights to the International Space Station for maintaining its crew rotation as the agency continues to work with The Boeing Company to prevent the company’s Starliner vehicle from ferrying astronauts.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded six flights to Boeing and SpaceX, each carrying them to and from the station after certification of their respective vehicles, with Elon Musk’s SpaceX now half of its initial contract from 2014. is on the way.
Newly commissioned SpaceX flights are expected as soon as 2023, NASA said Friday in a “sole source contract amendment” notice.
The potential value of the contract amendment was not released. NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
SpaceX’s next “Crew-4” flight to the space station is scheduled for April 15.
“It’s important that we begin to secure additional flights to the space station now, so we are prepared as these missions are needed to maintain a US presence on the station,” said NASA associate administrator Kathy Leiders, who heads the space station. Oversee the operations.
Boeing had planned to launch its CST-100 Starliner in August for a second unmanned demonstration trip to the ISS after a poor flight in December 2019. Several malfunctioning valves on the vehicle forced cancellation and a thorough review of the system.
Boeing hopes to reschedule that test in the first half of 2022 and conduct a demonstration flight with astronauts at the end of the year. NASA said it will continue to work with Boeing to understand the issues and prepare the Starliner for certification.
NASA sent a request to the aerospace industry in October for information about providing transportation to the ISS.
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