SpaceX is upgrading its Dragon cargo carrier, seen here being grabbed with the International Space Station's robotic arm, for human spaceflight.(Photo: NASA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>SpaceX got official word Friday that
it will<span style="color: Red;">*</span>launch astronauts<span style="color: Red;">*</span>from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station, according to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The order came six months after NASA said Boeing (
BA) would fly crews in CST-100 Starliner capsules launched by Atlas V rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX, a private company based in California, will use its Dragon capsules.
"It’s really exciting to see SpaceX and Boeing with hardware in flow for their first crew rotation missions,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Kathy Lueders, manager of the KSC-based Commercial Crew Program, said in a press release.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"It is important to have at least two healthy and robust capabilities from U.S. companies to deliver crew and critical scientific experiments from American soil to the space station throughout its lifespan."
Though Boeing's order came first, it has not yet been determined which company will fly the first official mission to the space station after NASA certifies the programs' safety.
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Both companies plan to launch orbital test flights, first without a crew and then with a crew. NASA hopes one company is ready to fly by late 2017, and until then will continue to depend on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts up and down from the station orbiting 250 miles up.
"The authority to proceed with Dragon's first operational crew mission<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a significant milestone in the Commercial Crew Program<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and a great source of pride for the entire SpaceX team," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and chief operating officer. “When Crew Dragon takes NASA astronauts to the space station in 2017, they will be riding in one of the safest, most reliable spacecraft ever flown.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>We're honored to be developing this<span style="color: Red;">*</span>capability<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for NASA and our country.”
A SpaceX<span style="color: Red;">*</span>rocket exploded<span style="color: Red;">*</span>June 28 about 2 minutes after liftoff in Florida as it carried an unmanned Dragon capsule. Before the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>failure, the company's Falcon 9 rocket had flown 18 successful launches including seven flights to the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>International Space Station.
Follow James Dean on Twitter:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@flatoday_jdean
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