NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to Build Its Space Taxi

The SpaceX Dragon at the International Space Station. NASA

Let the space race begin.

NASA announced on Tuesday that it has awarded two multibillion dollar contracts to Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, to develop spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The contracts will make the two companies the first commercial businesses to send NASA astronauts to space, fulfilling the government’s commitment to commercial spaceflight ever since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet back in 2011.

But more than just a windfall for Boeing and SpaceX, which were awarded $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion respectively, the announcement also serves as an important first step toward kickstarting the commercial space industry, which includes other companies like Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Sierra Nevada Corp. that seek to make space travel accessible to the rest of us. As NASA astronaut Mike Fincke said at Tuesday’s press conference: “I look at these spacecraft as the keys to the doorway to space, where we’re trying to open the door to more and more people getting to see what we’ve seen from space, our beautiful planet and beyond.”

According to NASA administrator Charles Bolden, the partnership will begin to end NASA’s reliance on Russia, which has been taking astronauts to space since the U.S. shuttle program ended. “The greatest nation on earth shouldn’t be dependent on any other nation to get to space,” Bolden said.

Partnering with these companies will also serve another important purpose for NASA. It will allow the agency to concentrate on what Bolden called a “more ambitious mission”—namely, sending humans to Mars. Bolden spoke at length about NASA’s ongoing progress with the Orion spacecraft, which is being developed to send humans farther than ever before, including to an asteroid and Mars. Orion, which is set to launch its first uncrewed mission in December, could enable NASA astronauts to become the first to take samples of asteroids, or, Bolden added, “perhaps the first to grow their own food and eat it in space.”

While such accomplishments may be many years away, Boeing and SpaceX are operating on a much tighter timeline. Boeing’s CST-100 capsule and SpaceX’s Dragon capsules are expected to complete NASA’s rigorous certification process by 2017. They will not only have to meet NASA’s safety standards, but must also run at least one crude test flight to the space station to get their certification. Then, once they’re certified, they’ll be required to run at least two and up to six missions, carrying a crew of four astronauts to the Space Station. According to Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, these astronauts will “nearly double the scientific research potential” on the Space Station.

Once the contracts are complete, SpaceX and Boeing will no doubt leverage the expertise they’ve acquired working with NASA to build out their own commercial operations for non-astronauts. After all, building a space travel industry aimed at civilians is something that SpaceX founder Elon Musk, for one, has been particularly vocal about. Having access to NASA’s financing and expertise is sure to accelerate that process.

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s press conference, Fincke, who holds the American record for most time in space, provided some insight into what such a future might look like. “I’ve watched from the windows of our beautiful space station as the earth moved below, and from 250 miles up, a glance can reveal Paris, California, and Brazil at once,” he said. “These new ships give us the hope that more and more people will get to see that view, and take in that inspiration.”