NASA has moved to secure continued crew transportation to the International Space Station by awarding SpaceX three more crewed missions under a modification to its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract. The change covers Crew-15, Crew-16 and Crew-17 and is a firm fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification valued at $946 million.
The contract amendment adds launch, ground, in-orbit, return and recovery operations to the agency’s purchase, along with cargo transportation for each flight and a lifeboat capability while a Dragon vehicle is docked. The modification increases SpaceX’s total CCtCap tasking to 17 missions and brings the aggregate contract value with the company to $5.92 billion. The period of performance runs through 2030.
NASA issued a notice of intent in May to buy additional missions before formalising the award. The current sole-source modification does not prevent NASA from seeking further contract changes or additional transportation services in the future, the agency says.
The CCtCap effort began in 2014 when NASA awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX as part of the Commercial Crew Program. Under the programme, NASA certifies each provider’s crew transportation system before allowing it to carry astronauts. SpaceX achieved certification for crew transportation in November 2020 and currently has its Crew-12 mission docked to the space station.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, launched on Falcon 9 rockets, is flown to the station with up to four astronauts and critical cargo on each rotation. By extending this block of missions, NASA retains access to two unique commercial crew partners to support ongoing station operations and emergency return capability while astronauts remain on orbit.
With the award now in place, NASA will continue to rely on the contracted services through 2030 while retaining flexibility to buy more flights if mission requirements demand them.
