Commercial Crew Program#CCDev 1
{{Short description|NASA human spaceflight program for the International Space Station}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox space program
| name = Commercial Crew Program
| image = NASA Commercial Crew Program logo (cropped).svg
| upright = 1
| caption = Logo since 2014
| alt = Two streaks, one red and one blue, streaming up to a star surrounded by a depiction of an orbiting object
| country = United States
| organization = {{Hlist|NASA|Boeing|SpaceX|}}
| purpose = ISS crew transport
| cost =
| status = Ongoing
| duration = 2011–present
| firstflight = {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-1|{{Nowrap|16 November 2020 – 2 May 2021}}}}
| successes = 7
| launchsite = {{Unbulleted list|Cape Canaveral|Kennedy}}
| crewvehicle = {{Hlist|Crew Dragon|Starliner}}
| launcher = {{Hlist|Falcon 9 Block 5|
Atlas V N22}}
}}
{{United States space program sidebar}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 400
| image1 = Crew Dragon at the ISS for Demo Mission 1 (cropped).jpg
| image2 = Boeing's Starliner crew ship approaches the space station (iss067e066735) (cropped).jpg
| footer = The Crew Dragon (left) and Starliner (right) approaching the ISS on their respective missions
}}
The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) provides commercially operated crew transportation service to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA, conducting crew rotations between the expeditions of the International Space Station program. The American space manufacturer SpaceX began providing service in 2020, using Crew Dragon, and NASA plans to add Boeing when Starliner becomes operational no earlier than 2026. NASA has contracted for six operational missions from Boeing and fourteen from SpaceX, ensuring sufficient support for ISS through 2030.{{cite news|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-and-spacex-finalize-extension-of-commercial-crew-contract/|title="NASA and SpaceX finalize extension of commercial crew contract"|last=Foust|first=Jeff|date=September 1, 2022|publisher=spacenews.com|access-date=October 1, 2022}}
The spacecraft are owned and operated by the vendor, and crew transportation is provided to NASA as a commercial service. Each mission sends up to four astronauts to the ISS. Operational flights occur approximately once every six months for missions that last for approximately six months. A spacecraft remains docked to the ISS during its mission, and missions usually overlap by at least a few days. Between the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011 and the first operational CCP mission in 2020, NASA relied on the Soyuz program to transport its astronauts to the ISS.
A Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched to space atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle and the capsule returns to Earth via splashdown in the ocean near Florida. The program's first operational mission, SpaceX Crew-1, launched on 16 November 2020. Boeing Starliner spacecraft will participate after its final test flight, launched atop an Atlas V N22 launch vehicle. Instead of a splashdown, a Starliner capsule will return on land with airbags at one of four designated sites in the western United States.
Development of the Commercial Crew Program began in 2011 as NASA shifted from internal development of crewed vehicles to perform ISS crew rotation to commercial industry development of transport to the ISS. A series of open competitions over the following two years saw successful bids from Boeing, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX to develop proposals for ISS crew transport vehicles. In 2014, NASA awarded separate fixed-price contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to develop their respective systems and to fly astronauts to the ISS. Each contract required four successful demonstrations to achieve human rating for the system: pad abort, uncrewed orbital test, launch abort, and crewed orbital test. Operational missions were initially planned to begin in 2017, with missions alternating between the two providers. Delays required NASA to purchase additional seats on Soyuz spacecraft up to Soyuz MS-17 until Crew Dragon missions commenced in 2020. Crew Dragon continues to handle all missions until Starliner becomes operational no earlier than 2026.
Background
In 2004, the Aldridge Commission – established by President George W. Bush following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster – called for crewed flights to the Moon with a Crew Exploration Vehicle in its final report.{{Cite web|last1=King|first1=John|last2=O'Brien|first2=Miles|author-link1=John King (journalist)|author-link2=Miles O'Brien (journalist)|title=Bush unveils vision for moon and beyond|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/01/14/bush.space/|website=CNN|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308040135/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/01/14/bush.space/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=15 January 2004|quote=The initial spurt of new funding will be used to begin work on what a "crew exploration vehicle," which O'Keefe said will "look totally different" from the space shuttle. [...] Lunar missions will begin between 2015 and 2020.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Dinkin|first=Sam|title=Implementing the vision|url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/254/1|website=The Space Review|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308040131/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/254/1|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=25 October 2004|quote=Eleven companies have been selected "to conduct preliminary concept studies for human lunar exploration and the development of the crew exploration vehicle."|url-status=live}} Following the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, the Constellation program was established,{{Cite web|last1=Neubek|first1=Deborah J.|last2=Rattigan|first2=Jennifer L.|last3=Stegemoeller|first3=Charles|last4=Thomas|first4=L. Dale|title=Constellation program Lessons Learned; Volume I: Executive Summary|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-6127.pdf|website=NASA History Office|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308045128/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-6127.pdf|archive-date=8 March 2019|pages=2–3|date=20 May 2011|quote=NASA formed the Constellation Program in 2005 [...] The Initial Capability (IC) comprised elements necessary to service the ISS by 2015 with crew rotations: including the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle, and the supporting ground and mission infrastructure to enable these missions.|url-status=live}} which envisioned a revised Crew Exploration Vehicle named Orion conducting crew rotation flights to the International Space Station (ISS) in addition to its lunar exploration goals.{{Cite web|author1=BBC News staff|title=Nasa names new spacecraft 'Orion'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5277736.stm|website=BBC News|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308050157/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5277736.stm|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=23 August 2006|quote=The vehicle will be capable of transporting cargo and up to six crew members to and from the International Space Station. It can carry four astronauts for lunar missions.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=NASA's New Moon Plans: 'Apollo on Steroids'|url=https://www.space.com/1567-nasa-moon-plans-apollo-steroids.html|website=Space.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308050155/https://www.space.com/1567-nasa-moon-plans-apollo-steroids.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=19 September 2005|quote=The spacecraft, NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), could even carry six-astronaut crews to the International Space Station (ISS) or fly automated resupply shipments as needed, NASA chief Michael Griffin said.|url-status=live}} Orion superseded the Orbital Space Plane,{{Cite web|last1=Cowing|first1=Keith L.|last2=Sietzen|first2=Frank Jr.|title=NASA's New Launch Systems May Include the Return of the Space Tug|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1057|website=SpaceRef|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202223346/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1057|archive-date=2 February 2013|date=7 August 2005|quote=Following the Columbia accident in February 2003, planning for the {{abbr|OSP|Orbital Space Plane}} was placed on hold. Eventually, the OSP would be superseded-or morphed into-the requirements for what eventually became the {{abbr|CEV|Crew Exploration Vehicle}}.|url-status=dead}}{{^|It still exists at the new URL https://spaceref.com/uncategorized/nasas-new-launch-systems-may-include-the-return-of-the-space-tug/, but Keith Cowing is no longer listed as an author, so URL not updated.}}{{Cite web|last=Dinerman|first=Taylor|title=What do we do with the ISS?|url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/313/1|website=The Space Review|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308042900/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/313/1|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=31 January 2005|quote=The big question for the next NASA administrator will be whether he going to reverse the decision to delete the ISS service role from the Crew Exploration Vehicle's mission. [...] The CEV was sold at least partly on the basis that it would replace the planned Orbital Space Plane (OSP), which was supposed to be a true multipurpose manned spacecraft.|url-status=live}} which was specifically designed for ISS crew rotation.{{Cite web|author=Marshall Space Flight Center|title=Fact sheet number: FS-2003-05-64-MSFC|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/background/facts/ospfacts.html|website=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804223301/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/background/facts/ospfacts.html|archive-date=4 August 2012|date=1 May 2003|quote=Based largely on existing technologies, the Orbital Space Plane would provide safe, affordable access to the International Space Station. The Orbital Space Plane will be able to support a Space Station crew rotation of four to six months.|url-status=live}} In 2009, the Augustine Commission appointed by President Barack Obama found that the program's funding and resources were insufficient to execute its goals without significant delays to its schedule and an increase of US$3 billion in funding,{{Cite web|last=Sunseri|first=Gina|title=Augustine Commission: NASA's Plans 'Unsustainable'|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/AheadoftheCurve/space-program-major-revision-augustine-commission/story?id=8892321|website=ABC News|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026144215/https://abcnews.go.com/WN/AheadoftheCurve/space-program-major-revision-augustine-commission/story?id=8892321|archive-date=26 October 2009|date=22 October 2009|quote=To get to the moon and then eventually go on to Mars will take much more money and technology than the U.S. space program has now, according to a report released today by an independent panel convened, at White House request [...] Keep Ares and Orion going -- but recognize they probably won't be ready for regular use until 2017. [...] To do all this, the panel said NASA would need substantially more funding -- an additional $3 billion annually starting next year.|url-status=live}} which prompted NASA to start considering alternatives to the program.{{Cite web|last=Atkinson|first=Nancy|title=NASA Administrator Orders Study of Heavy Lift Alternatives|url=https://www.universetoday.com/43125/nasa-administrator-orders-study-of-heavy-lift-alternatives/|website=Universe Today|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308054217/https://www.universetoday.com/43125/nasa-administrator-orders-study-of-heavy-lift-alternatives/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=21 October 2009|quote=Looking at alternatives to the Constellation program is an apparent reaction to the final Augustine Commission report, which will be made public on Thursday.|url-status=live}} The Constellation program was officially cancelled in 2010,{{Cite web |last1=Amos |first1=Jonathan |title=US politicians cement a new philosophy for Nasa |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jonathanamos/2010/09/us-politicians-cement-a-new-ph.shtml |website=BBC News |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308063929/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jonathanamos/2010/09/us-politicians-cement-a-new-ph.shtml |archive-date=8 March 2019 |date=30 September 2010 |quote=It authorises $1.3bn over the next three years for commercial companies to begin taxiing crew to the International Space Station (ISS). [...] It brings to an end the Bush-era Constellation programme which had set the agency the task of going back to the Moon. |url-status=live}} with NASA repurposing Orion for exploration beyond Earth,{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=NASA's New Asteroid Mission Could Save the Planet|url=https://www.space.com/8240-nasa-asteroid-mission-save-planet.html|website=Space.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308064630/https://www.space.com/8240-nasa-asteroid-mission-save-planet.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=6 April 2010|quote=He pledged to revive the Orion spacecraft, initially cancelled along the rest of NASA's Constellation program building new rockets and spacecraft. Now [it will play a role] in deep space missions, Obama said.|url-status=live}} and collaborating with commercial partners for ISS crew rotation and other crewed activities in low Earth orbit following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.{{Cite web|last=Matson|first=John|title=Phased Out: Obama's NASA Budget Would Cancel Constellation Moon Program, Privatize Manned Launches|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-budget-constellation-cancel/|website=Scientific American|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308065319/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-budget-constellation-cancel/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=1 February 2010|quote=Obama's blueprint for NASA would cancel the Constellation program, the family of rockets and hardware now in development to replace the aging space shuttle, and would call instead on commercial vendors to fly astronauts to orbit.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=Obama Budget Scraps NASA Moon Plan for '21st Century Space Program'|url=https://www.space.com/7849-obama-budget-scraps-nasa-moon-plan-21st-century-space-program.html|website=Space.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308063949/https://www.space.com/7849-obama-budget-scraps-nasa-moon-plan-21st-century-space-program.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=1 February 2010|quote=...and offers $6 billion over five years to support commercially built spaceships to launch NASA astronauts into space.|url-status=live}} This arrangement would additionally end NASA's dependency on Roscosmos' Soyuz program to deliver its astronauts to the ISS.{{Cite web|last1=Perrotto|first1=Trent|last2=Thomas|first2=Candrea|title=NASA Awards Contracts In Next Step Toward Safely Launching American Astronauts From U.S. Soil|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/2012/release-20121210.html|website=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308122512/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/2012/release-20121210.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=10 December 2012|quote=...the certification products contracts (CPC) [will ensure] crew transportation systems will meet agency safety requirements and standards to launch American astronauts to the International Space Station from the United States, ending the agency's reliance on Russia for these transportation services. [...] This includes data that will result in developing engineering standards, tests and analyses of the crew transportation systems design.|url-status=live}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="A pair of privately owned spaceships, Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, are set to make their debut within the next few months [...] ending NASA's post-space-shuttle reliance on the Soyuz to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station."}}
Development
{{main|Development of the Commercial Crew Program}}
= CCDev awards =
File:Dream Chaser pre-drop tests.6.jpg
The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 allocated US$1.3 billion for an expansion of the existing Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program over three years. While the program's first round of competition in 2010 focused on funding development of various human spaceflight technologies in the private sector as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,{{Cite web|last1=Byerly|first1=Josh|last2=Edwards|first2=Ashley|last3=Hautaluoma|first3=Grey|title=NASA Selects Commercial Firms to Begin Development of Crew Transportation Concepts and Technology Demonstrations for Human Spaceflight Using Recovery Act Funds|url=https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/feb/HQ_C10-004_Commercia_Crew_Dev.html|website=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512115140/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/feb/HQ_C10-004_Commercia_Crew_Dev.html|archive-date=12 May 2013|date=1 February 2010|quote=Through an open competition for funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NASA has awarded Space Act Agreements...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=CCDev awardees one year later: where are they now?|url=http://www.newspacejournal.com/2011/02/04/ccdev-awardees-one-year-later-where-are-they-now/|website=NewSpace Journal|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605111613/http://www.newspacejournal.com/2011/02/04/ccdev-awardees-one-year-later-where-are-they-now/|archive-date=5 June 2013|date=4 February 2011|quote=NASA announced a set of Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) awards, using $50 million they agency got as part of a larger grant of stimulus funding.|url-status=live}} its second round, CCDev 2, focused on proposals for spacecraft capable of shuttling astronauts to and from the ISS.{{Cite web|last=Rhian|first=Jason|title=Numerous Companies Propose Possible 'Space Taxis'|url=https://www.universetoday.com/81819/numerous-companies-propose-possible-space-taxi/|website=Universe Today|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308074523/https://www.universetoday.com/81819/numerous-companies-propose-possible-space-taxi/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=20 December 2010|quote=With NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, or CCDev 2, and the encouragement of commercial space firms to produce their own vehicles, the number of potential 'space-taxis' has swelled, with virtually every established and up-and-coming space company either producing – or proposing one.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Moskowitz|first=Clara|title=Four Companies at Forefront of Commercial Space Race|url=https://www.space.com/11511-nasa-commercial-crew-spacecraft.html|website=Space.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308074222/https://www.space.com/11511-nasa-commercial-crew-spacecraft.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=28 April 2011|quote=Four private companies are the leaders in the effort to build commercial spaceships to carry astronauts to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station after the space shuttles retire. NASA recently handed out the second wave of contracts in its Commercial Crew Development program...|url-status=live}} The competition for CCDev 2 funding concluded in April 2011, with Blue Origin receiving US$22 million to develop its biconic nose cone capsule concept,{{Cite web|last=Bergin|first=Chris|title=Four companies win big money via NASA's CCDEV-2 awards|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/04/four-companies-win-nasas-ccdev-2-awards/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080441/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/04/four-companies-win-nasas-ccdev-2-awards/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=18 April 2011|quote=Blue Origin's $22m award is for their their {{Sic}} biconic-shape capsule, of which very little is currently in the public domain.|url-status=live}} SpaceX receiving US$75 million to develop a crewed version of their Dragon spacecraft and a human-rated Falcon 9 launch vehicle,{{Cite web|last=Sauser|first=Brittany|title=Private Spacecrafts to Carry Humans Get NASA Funding|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/423813/private-spacecrafts-to-carry-humans-get-nasa-funding/|website=MIT Technology Review|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191219011020/https://www.technologyreview.com/s/423813/private-spacecrafts-to-carry-humans-get-nasa-funding/|archive-date=19 December 2019|date=22 April 2011|quote=Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which currently has a contract to carry cargo to the International Space Station, will receive $75 million to make its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule ready for humans...|url-status=live}} the Sierra Nevada Corporation receiving US$80 million to develop the Dream Chaser,{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Four firms plan to get the most out of NASA investment|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1104/25ccdevgoals/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080043/https://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1104/25ccdevgoals/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=25 April 2011|quote=Boeing received the largest Commercial Crew Development award, an agreement valued at $92.3 million, to finish the preliminary design of the CST-100 capsule [...] Sierra Nevada received $20 million in the first CCDev competition in February 2010, using that funding to develop manufacturing tooling, fire a Dream Chaser maneuvering engine and deliver parts of a structural mock-up of the spacecraft.|url-status=live}} and Boeing receiving US$92.3 million to develop the CST-100 Starliner. SpaceX had previously been contracted by NASA to operate ISS resupply flights with their Dragon spacecraft, as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services.{{Cite web|last1=Bergin|first1=Chris|last2=Smith|first2=Ron|title=Orbital's Antares closing in on debut launch following pad arrival|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/10/orbitals-antares-closing-debut-launch-pad-arrival/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308115518/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/10/orbitals-antares-closing-debut-launch-pad-arrival/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=1 October 2012|quote=Orbital and SpaceX won a combined 3.5 billion dollars Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract back in 2008...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Tann|first=Nick|title=SpaceX successfully launches first International Space Station re-supply mission|url=http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/10/spacex-successfully-launches-first-international-space-station-re-supply-mission/#1|website=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308115523/http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/10/spacex-successfully-launches-first-international-space-station-re-supply-mission/#1|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=8 October 2012|quote=Last night, SpaceX launched more than 1,000 pounds of supplies bound for the International Space Station on the first of 12 missions in its 1.6 billion USD contract with NASA.|url-status=live}} The program's third round, Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap),{{Cite web|last=Atkinson|first=Nancy|title=NASA Announces Winners in Commercial Crew Funding; Which Company Will Get to Space First?|url=https://www.universetoday.com/96593/nasa-announces-winners-in-commercial-crew-funding-which-company-will-get-to-space-first/|website=Universe Today|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308104841/https://www.universetoday.com/96593/nasa-announces-winners-in-commercial-crew-funding-which-company-will-get-to-space-first/ |archive-date=8 March 2019 |date=3 August 2012 |quote=NASA announced today the winners of the third round of commercial crew development funding, called the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap). [...] NASA said these awards will enable a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years. [...] each company negotiated how much work they could get done in the 21-month period that this award covers.|url-status=live}} aimed to financially support the development of winning proposals over 21 months through to May 2014, in preparation for crewed missions to the ISS within five years.{{Cite web|last=Boyle|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Boyle|title=NASA announces $1.1 billion in support for a trio of spaceships|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/nasa-announces-1-1-billion-support-trio-spaceships-921338|website=NBC News|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190308104127/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/nasa-announces-1-1-billion-support-trio-spaceships-921338|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=3 August 2012|quote=NASA has committed $1.1 billion over the next 21 months to support spaceship development efforts by the Boeing Co., SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp., with the aim of having American astronauts flying once more on American spacecraft within five years.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Hardwood|first=William|title=NASA awards manned-spacecraft contracts|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-awards-manned-spacecraft-contracts/|website=CNET|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308105532/https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-awards-manned-spacecraft-contracts/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=3 August 2012|quote=SpaceX was awarded a $440 million contract [...] Boeing won a contract valued at $460 million [...] Nevada was awarded $212.5 million [...] The CCiCap contracts will run between now and May 31, 2014|url-status=live}} Despite winning awards in CCDev 1 and CCDev 2, Blue Origin decided against competing in CCiCap, opting instead to rely on private investment from their owner, Jeff Bezos, to continue development on crewed spaceflight.{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=NASA awards $1.1 billion to develop three commercial space taxis|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-080312a.html|website=collectSPACE|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308093158/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-080312a.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=3 August 2012|quote=Also not included in this latest round of funding was Blue Origin of Kent., Wash., a company owned by billionaire Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos that is developing private spacecraft for suborbital and orbital flights. The company did receive a NASA funding award in 2011 for its orbital crew vehicle, but wasn't among the seven vying for a spot in the CCiCap round, NASA officials said.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=Bezos Investment in Blue Origin Exceeds $500 Million|url=https://spacenews.com/41299bezos-investment-in-blue-origin-exceeds-500-million/|website=Space News|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20161218175949/http://spacenews.com/41299bezos-investment-in-blue-origin-exceeds-500-million/|archive-date=18 December 2016|date=18 December 2016|quote="We got $25 million from the NASA commercial crew program, and that represents less than 5 percent of what our founder has put into the company," Alexander said. That would mean Bezos' investment in Blue Origin is at least $500 million.|url-status=live}} The competition for CCiCap funding ended in August 2012, with US$212.5 million allocated to Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser, US$440 million allocated to SpaceX's Crew Dragon, and US$460 million allocated to Boeing's Starliner.{{Cite web|last=Bergin|first=Chris|title=NASA CCiCAP funding for SpaceX, Boeing and SNC's crew vehicles|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/08/nasa-ccicap-funding-spacex-boeing-sncs-crew-vehicles/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308105525/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/08/nasa-ccicap-funding-spacex-boeing-sncs-crew-vehicles/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=3 August 2012|quote=In the end, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier opted to award Boeing with $460m, SpaceX with $440 and SNC with $212.5m.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=NASA Awards $1.1 Billion in Support for 3 Private Space Taxis|url=https://www.space.com/16890-nasa-private-space-taxis-funding.html|website=Space.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308105536/https://www.space.com/16890-nasa-private-space-taxis-funding.html|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=3 August 2012|quote=As part of the new agreements, Sierra Nevada will receive $212.5 million, SpaceX will receive $440 million, and Boeing will receive $460 million.|url-status=live}} While Alliant Techsystems's integrated Liberty launch vehicle and spacecraft was a finalist, it was rejected due to concerns about the lack of detail in Alliant Techsystems's proposal.{{Cite web|last=Gerstenmaier|first=William H.|author-link=William H. Gerstenmaier|title=Selection Statement For Commercial Crew Integrated Capability|url=http://commercialcrew.nasa.gov/document_file_get.cfm?docID=645|website=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910072408/http://commercialcrew.nasa.gov/document_file_get.cfm?docID=645|archive-date=10 September 2012|date=10 September 2012|quote=Four proposals passed the Acceptability Screening and were evaluated by the full PEP [...] ATK Aerospace Systems (ATK)|url-status=dead}}
In December 2012, the three CCiCap winners were each given an additional USD$10 million in funding as the first of two series of "certification products contracts" (CPC) to allow for further testing, engineering standards, and design analysis to meet NASA's safety requirements for crewed spaceflight.{{Cite web|last=Boyle|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Boyle|title=NASA outlines the final steps in plan for next manned spaceships|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/nasa-outlines-final-steps-plan-next-manned-spaceships-2D11624551|website=NBC News|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308125343/https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/nasa-outlines-final-steps-plan-next-manned-spaceships-2D11624551|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=19 November 2013|quote=NASA expects the final phase of the competition — known as the Commercial Crew Transport Capability program, or CCtCAP — to result in a fleet of commercial spacecraft that are certified to transport crew by 2017. [...] Those same three companies have already been granted about $10 million each for Phase 1 of the CCtCAP certification process, which focuses on flight safety and performance requirements. [...] NASA said applications for Phase 2 funding should be submitted by Jan. 22.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Grondin|first=Yves-A.|title=NASA Outlines its Plans for Commercial Crew Certification|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/08/nasa-outlines-plans-commercial-crew-certification/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308125346/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/08/nasa-outlines-plans-commercial-crew-certification/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=5 August 2013|quote=...NASA outlined the next phase of its strategy to enable the certification of commercial crew transportation systems to and from the International Space Station (ISS). [...] Phase 1 of the certification strategy, the Certification Products Contract (CPC) phase, was awarded last December to SpaceX, SNC and Boeing for amounts that did not exceed $10 million per company.|url-status=live}} The second CPC series manifested as Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), the final phase of the CCDev program, where NASA would certify an operator to run crewed flights to the ISS through an open competition. The window for proposal submissions was closed on 22 January 2014. Sierra Nevada announced a week later that a privately funded orbital test flight of a Dream Chaser spacecraft, using an Atlas V launch vehicle intended to be purchased by Sierra Nevada, was planned to occur on 1 November 2016.{{Cite web|last=Rutkin|first=Aviva|title=Mini space shuttle gears up to chase astronaut dreams|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24950-mini-space-shuttle-gears-up-to-chase-astronaut-dreams/|website=New Scientist|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308114442/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24950-mini-space-shuttle-gears-up-to-chase-astronaut-dreams/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=27 January 2014|quote=Engineers at Sierra Nevada Corporation have announced that the Dream Chaser will make its first orbital flight on 1 November 2016. The Dream Chaser will launch attached to an Atlas V rocket...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Atkinson|first=Nancy|title=Sierra Nevada Dreamchaser Will Launch on First Orbital Flight Test in November 2016|url=https://www.universetoday.com/108487/sierra-nevada-dreamchaser-will-launch-on-first-orbital-flight-test-in-november-2016/|website=Universe Today|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308114446/https://www.universetoday.com/108487/sierra-nevada-dreamchaser-will-launch-on-first-orbital-flight-test-in-november-2016/|archive-date=8 March 2019|date=23 January 2014|quote="Today we're very proud to announce that we have now formally negotiated our orbital spaceflight," said Mark Sirangelo, the head of Sierra Nevada Space Systems. "We have acquired an Atlas V rocket and established a launch date of November 1, 2016...|url-status=live}} On 16 September 2014, CCtCap concluded with SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner being the sole winners, with SpaceX receiving US$2.6 billion contract and Boeing a US$4.2 billion contract.{{Cite web|author=Associated Press|title=SpaceX, Boeing land NASA contracts to carry astronauts to space|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/17/world/science-health-world/boeing-spacex-poised-build-space-taxis-nasa/|website=The Japan Times|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521041609/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/17/world/science-health-world/boeing-spacex-poised-build-space-taxis-nasa/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=17 September 2014|quote=On Tuesday, the space agency picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station [...] NASA will pay Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to certify, test and fly their crew capsules.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Wall|first=Mike|title=NASA Picks SpaceX and Boeing to Fly U.S. Astronauts on Private Spaceships|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-picks-spacex-and-boeing-to-fly-u-s-astronauts-on-private-spaceships/?redirect=1|website=Scientific American|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521041622/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-picks-spacex-and-boeing-to-fly-u-s-astronauts-on-private-spaceships/?redirect=1|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=17 September 2014|quote=SpaceX and Boeing are splitting NASA's $6.8 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability award, or CCtCap [...] SpaceX will get $2.6 billion and Boeing will receive $4.2 billion, officials said.|url-status=live}} Sierra Nevada filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in response, citing "serious questions and inconsistencies in the source selection process."{{Cite web|last=Dean|first=James|title=Sierra Nevada files protest over NASA crew contract|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2014/09/26/sierra-nevada-files-protest-nasa-crew-contract/16283213/|website=Florida Today|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521051433/https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2014/09/26/sierra-nevada-files-protest-nasa-crew-contract/16283213/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=26 September 2014|quote=Sierra Nevada Corp. has protested NASA's award of contracts worth up to $6.8 billion to Boeing and SpaceX to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The U.S. Government Accountability Office must rule on the legal challenge by Jan. 5. [...] Sierra Nevada cited "serious questions and inconsistencies in the source selection process."|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web|last=Keeney|first=Laura|title=So Sierra Nevada protested NASA space-taxi contract, but what's next?|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2014/10/03/so-sierra-nevada-protested-nasa-space-taxi-contract-but-whats-next/|website=The Denver Post|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521051438/https://www.denverpost.com/2014/10/03/so-sierra-nevada-protested-nasa-space-taxi-contract-but-whats-next/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=3 October 2014|quote=Space Systems filed the formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Sept. 26 over rejection of its bid for NASA's commercial crew contract to shuttle astronauts to the space station.|url-status=live}} The United States Court of Federal Claims upheld a decision to allow development of the Crew Dragon and Starliner to proceed during the protest,{{Cite web|last=Rhian|first=Jason|title=Judge allows NASA to move forward on production of Commercial Crew spacecraft|url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/sierra-nevada/judge-allows-nasa-move-forward-production-commercial-crew-spacecraft/|website=Spaceflight Insider|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521050433/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/sierra-nevada/judge-allows-nasa-move-forward-production-commercial-crew-spacecraft/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=23 October 2014|quote=Judge Marian Blank Horn of the United States Court of Federal Claims has cleared the way for NASA to proceed with its plans to have Boeing and SpaceX develop their spacecraft under the Commercial Crew transportation Capability (CCtCap).|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Dean|first=James|title=Judge: NASA can move forward with Boeing, SpaceX|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/22/judge-nasa-can-move-forward-with-boeing-spacex/17704843/|website=USA Today|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521050451/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/22/judge-nasa-can-move-forward-with-boeing-spacex/17704843/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=22 October 2014|quote=A judge Tuesday allowed NASA to move forward with new contracts to develop private space taxis despite a legal challenge to the deals worth up to $6.8 billion. [...] NASA claimed it "best serves the United States" to enable the commercial crew systems as soon as possible, and that delays to flights planned by 2017 would put the International Space Station at risk.|url-status=live}} citing concerns for crewed operations of the ISS in the event of a delay to the Commercial Crew Program.{{Cite web|last=Norris|first=Guy|title=Why NASA Rejected Sierra Nevada's Commercial Crew Vehicle|url=https://aviationweek.com/space/why-nasa-rejected-sierra-nevadas-commercial-crew-vehicle|website=Aviation Week & Space Technology|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027174620/http://aviationweek.com/space/why-nasa-rejected-sierra-nevadas-commercial-crew-vehicle|archive-date=27 October 2014|date=11 October 2014|quote=NASA issued a stop-work order to Boeing and SpaceX on Oct 2, only to rescind it a week later on the grounds that a delay to development of the transportation service, "poses risks to the ISS crew, jeopardizes continued operation of the ISS, would delay meeting critical crew size requirements, and may result in the U.S. failing to perform the commitments it made in its international agreements."|url-status=dead}} The GAO declined Sierra Nevada's protest in January 2015, stating that evidence gathered by the GAO discredited Sierra Nevada's claims against NASA; Sierra Nevada accepted the decision.{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=GAO Denies Sierra Nevada Protest of Commercial Crew Contract|url=https://spacenews.com/gao-denies-sierra-nevada-protest-of-commercial-crew-contract/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240528095958/https://www.webcitation.org/78WqtCi6o?url=https://spacenews.com/gao-denies-sierra-nevada-protest-of-commercial-crew-contract/|archive-date=28 May 2024|date=5 January 2015|quote="Based on our review of the issues, we concluded that these arguments were not supported by the evaluation record or by the terms of the solicitation," Smith said in the GAO statement. Sierra Nevada, in a statement issued Jan. 5, accepted the decision by the GAO...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Dean|first=James|title=Sierra Nevada loses Commercial Crew contract protest|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2015/01/05/snc-loses-nasa-tcap-bid-protest/21286435/|website=Florida Today|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521062210/https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2015/01/05/snc-loses-nasa-tcap-bid-protest/21286435/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=5 January 2015|quote=GAO disagreed with Sierra Nevada's arguments about NASA's evaluation [...] Sierra Nevada also claimed NASA did not adequately review the realism of SpaceX's low bid and its financial resources, among several other issues the GAO concluded "were not supported by the evaluation record or by the terms of the solicitation."|url-status=live|url-access=limited}} The company laid off 90 staff members working on the Dream Chaser following the CCtCap result, and repurposed the spacecraft as a for-hire vehicle for commercial spaceflight.{{Cite web|last=Rhian|first=Jason|title=SNC lays off staff, files protest over NASA CCP selections, mulls Dream Chaser's future – Update|url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/sierra-nevada/snc-lays-staff-files-protest-nasa-selction-dream-chaser-spacecraft-ccp/|website=Spaceflight Insider|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521052210/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/sierra-nevada/snc-lays-staff-files-protest-nasa-selction-dream-chaser-spacecraft-ccp/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=26 September 2014|quote=Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has laid off employees who were working on the company's offering under NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), the Dream Chaser space plane. SNC has also stated that it will continue to develop the spacecraft for possible use with other nations' human-rated space programs...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|author=SpaceRef staff|title=Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser Program to Continue|url=http://spaceref.biz/company/sierra-nevada/sierra-nevada-dream-chaser-to-continue.html|website=SpaceRef Business|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521053659/http://spaceref.biz/company/sierra-nevada/sierra-nevada-dream-chaser-to-continue.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=25 September 2014|quote=Sierra Nevada's Mark Sirangelo told the Denver Post the companies plans to go forward with development of the spacecraft and bid on future contracts. The news companies on the heals {{sic}} of Sierra Nevada laying off 90 people from the Dream Chaser program.|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=Sierra Nevada Lays Off Dream Chaser Staff|url=https://spacenews.com/41984sierra-nevada-lays-off-dream-chaser-staff/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/78WoCqG0N?url=https://spacenews.com/41984sierra-nevada-lays-off-dream-chaser-staff/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=25 September 2014|quote=After losing a NASA commercial crew competition earlier this month, Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) has laid off about 100 employees who had been working on its Dream Chaser vehicle, the company confirmed Sept. 24.|url-status=live}} A cargo variant of the Dream Chaser would later be developed and selected by NASA to fly uncrewed resupply missions to the ISS under a Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract.{{Cite news|last1=Davenport|first1=Christian|last2=Fung|first2=Brian|title=Sierra Nevada Corp. joins SpaceX and Orbital ATK in winning NASA resupply contracts|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/01/14/nasa-expected-to-soon-announce-contracts-to-resupply-the-international-space-station/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521064032/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/01/14/nasa-expected-to-soon-announce-contracts-to-resupply-the-international-space-station/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=14 January 2016|quote=The nation's space agency selected three commercial companies for the next round of missions to resupply the International Space Station, giving a vote of confidence to incumbents SpaceX and Orbital ATK and choosing a new player, Sierra Nevada Corp.|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web|last=Calandrelli|first=Emily|title=NASA Adds Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser To ISS Supply Vehicles|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/14/nasa-adds-sierra-nevadas-dream-chaser-to-iss-supply-vehicles/|website=TechCrunch|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201160516/http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/14/nasa-adds-sierra-nevadas-dream-chaser-to-iss-supply-vehicles/|archive-date=1 February 2016|date=14 January 2016|quote=The winners, Orbital ATK, SpaceX, and the newcomer Sierra Nevada Corporation, will be responsible for providing new cargo, disposing of unneeded cargo, and safely bringing back research samples from the International Space Station (ISS).|url-status=live}}
= Post-selection =
File:NASA Crew Demo-1 (31433487787).jpg
While the first flights of Commercial Crew Program were originally intended to be launched by the end of 2017,{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=NASA Details Why Boeing, SpaceX Won Commercial Crew|url=https://spacenews.com/documents-show-how-boeing-and-spacex-won-commercial-crew-amid-schedule-concerns/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240528100037/https://www.webcitation.org/78WyFTFbH?url=https://spacenews.com/documents-show-how-boeing-and-spacex-won-commercial-crew-amid-schedule-concerns/|archive-date=28 May 2024|date=21 January 2015|quote=SpaceX, though, planned to complete certification earlier than either Boeing or Sierra Nevada, giving it more margin to achieve NASA's goal of certification by the end of 2017.|url-status=live}} Boeing announced in May 2016 that their first crewed flight would be delayed to 2018 due to problems integrating with Starliner's Atlas V N22 launch vehicle.{{Cite web|last=Vincent|first=James|title=Astronauts won't be flying to space in Boeing's Starliner until 2018|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/12/11662214/boeing-starliner-iss-delay-2018|website=The Verge|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521081442/https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/12/11662214/boeing-starliner-iss-delay-2018|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=12 May 2016|quote=Boeing's executive vice president Leanne Caret made the announcement, reports GeekWire, telling investors at a briefing: "We're working toward our first unmanned flight in 2017, followed by a manned astronaut flight in 2018."|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Boyle|first=Alan|title=Boeing's Starliner schedule for sending astronauts into orbit slips to 2018|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2016/boeing-starliner-schedule-astronauts-slips-2018/|website=GeekWire|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521081527/https://www.geekwire.com/2016/boeing-starliner-schedule-astronauts-slips-2018/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=11 May 2016|quote=...it's been working through challenges related to the mass of the spacecraft and aeroacoustic issues related to integration with its United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 launch vehicle. In a follow-up to Caret's comments, Boeing spokeswoman Rebecca Regan told GeekWire that those factors contributed to the schedule slip.|url-status=live}} In December 2016, SpaceX announced their first crewed flights would also be delayed to 2018,{{Cite web|last=Boyle|first=Alan|title=NASA confirms delay in commercial crew flights to 2018, pushing the envelope|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2016/nasa-confirms-delay-spacex-boeing-2018-commercial-crew/|website=GeekWire|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521081818/https://www.geekwire.com/2016/nasa-confirms-delay-spacex-boeing-2018-commercial-crew/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=12 December 2016|quote=NASA has confirmed that the commercial space taxis being developed by SpaceX and the Boeing Co. will start carrying astronauts to the International Space Station no earlier than 2018...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Grush|first=Loren|title=SpaceX officially delays first crewed flight of its Dragon capsule for NASA|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/12/13928844/spacex-crew-dragon-delay-nasa-commercial-crew-program-2018|website=The Verge|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521081812/https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/12/13928844/spacex-crew-dragon-delay-nasa-commercial-crew-program-2018|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=12 December 2016|quote=In the wake of its September 1st rocket explosion, SpaceX has officially delayed the first crewed flight of its Crew Dragon vehicle [...] the first flight of the Crew Dragon with people on board is now slated to take place in May of 2018...|url-status=live}} following the loss of AMOS-6 in an accidental launch pad explosion of a Falcon 9, the Crew Dragon's launch vehicle.{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=Launchpad Explosion Destroys SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, Satellite in Florida|url=https://www.space.com/33929-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-explodes-on-launch-pad.html|website=Space.com|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521082921/https://www.space.com/33929-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-explodes-on-launch-pad.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=1 September 2016|quote=A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its commercial satellite payload were destroyed by an explosion at their launchpad in Florida early Thursday (Sept. 1) during a typically routine test.|url-status=live}} With no further flights in the Soyuz program for American astronauts past 2018,{{Cite web|last=Berger|first=Eric|title=Technical troubles likely to delay commercial crew flights until 2019|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/sources-neither-boeing-nor-spacex-likely-ready-to-fly-crews-until-2019/|website=Ars Technica|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521083418/https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/sources-neither-boeing-nor-spacex-likely-ready-to-fly-crews-until-2019/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=28 January 2017|quote=NASA currently has contracts with Russia through 2018 to get its astronauts to the station. However, a delay of test flights into 2019 would necessarily push the first "operational" commercial crew flights into spring or summer of 2019 at a minimum.|url-status=live}} the GAO expressed concerns and recommended in February 2017 that NASA develop a plan for crew rotation in the event of further delays.{{Cite web|last=Grush|first=Loren|title=SpaceX and Boeing probably won't be flying astronauts to the station until 2019, report suggests|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/16/14640618/nasa-spacex-boeing-astronaut-iss-2018|website=The Verge|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521083423/https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/16/14640618/nasa-spacex-boeing-astronaut-iss-2018|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=16 February 2017|quote=Because of the likelihood for delays, the GAO report recommends that NASA come up with a backup plan for getting its astronauts to the ISS beyond 2018.|url-status=live}} Following the settlement of a lawsuit against Russian space manufacturer Energia over Sea Launch, Boeing received options for up to five seats on Soyuz flights, which NASA purchased from Boeing.{{Cite web|last=Berger|first=Eric|title=As leadership departs, NASA quietly moves to buy more Soyuz seats|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/nasa-formally-seeks-option-to-buy-additional-soyuz-seats-for-2019/|website=Ars Technica|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521083448/https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/nasa-formally-seeks-option-to-buy-additional-soyuz-seats-for-2019/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=18 January 2017|quote=a new solicitation filed by NASA on Tuesday reveals that the agency is indeed seeking to purchase Soyuz seats for 2019 (NASA will negotiate with Boeing for these additional seats, which Boeing received from Russia's Energia as compensation for the settlement of a lawsuit involving the Sea Launch joint venture).|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust |title=NASA signs agreement with Boeing for Soyuz seats|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-signs-agreement-with-boeing-for-soyuz-seats/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180922071445/https://spacenews.com/nasa-signs-agreement-with-boeing-for-soyuz-seats/|archive-date=22 September 2018|date=28 February 2017|quote=NASA has quietly signed a contract with Boeing for up to five additional Soyuz seats to provide for both additional U.S. crewmembers on the International Space Station and margin for commercial crew delays.|url-status=live}} NASA announced the astronauts chosen to pilot the Crew Dragon and Starliner vehicles in August 2018,{{Cite web|last=Zraick|first=Karen|title=NASA Names Astronauts for Boeing and SpaceX Flights to International Space Station|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/science/nasa-astronauts-boeing-spacex.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804140126/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/science/nasa-astronauts-boeing-spacex.html|archive-date=4 August 2018|date=3 August 2018|quote=NASA has named the astronauts chosen to fly on commercial spacecraft made by Boeing and SpaceX to and from the International Space Station, the research laboratory that orbits around Earth.|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web|last=Sheetz|first=Michael|title=These are the astronauts NASA assigned for SpaceX and Boeing to launch the first crews from the US since 2011|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/04/nasa-commercial-crew-the-astronauts-spacex-and-boeing-will-launch.html|website=CNBC|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521095130/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/04/nasa-commercial-crew-the-astronauts-spacex-and-boeing-will-launch.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=4 August 2018|quote=NASA named five astronauts to the first two Boeing flights and four to the first two SpaceX flights.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Dean|first=James|title=NASA names first astronauts to fly SpaceX, Boeing ships from Florida|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/03/nasa-first-astronauts-spacex-boeing-ships/896846002/|website=USA Today|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521095119/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/03/nasa-first-astronauts-spacex-boeing-ships/896846002/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=3 August 2018|quote=NASA on Friday named the astronaut test pilots who will be the first to fly SpaceX and Boeing capsules launched from Florida to the International Space Station, within a year or less, according to updated schedules.|url-status=live}} and two months later penned the launch of demonstration missions for the Crew Dragon and Starliner for dates in 2019.{{Cite web|last1=Harwood|first1=William|title=NASA revises launch targets for Boeing, SpaceX crew ships|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-revises-launch-targets-boeing-spacex-crew-ships/|website=CBS News|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521090325/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-revises-launch-targets-boeing-spacex-crew-ships/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=4 October 2018|quote=The first unpiloted test flight of a SpaceX commercial Dragon capsule intended to eventually ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station is moving to January, NASA announced Thursday. The first unpiloted test flight of a Boeing Starliner commercial crew ship is now targeted for the March timeframe.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|author=Agence France-Presse|title=First SpaceX mission with astronauts set for June 2019: NASA|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-10-debut-spacex-boeing-crew-capsules.html|website=Phys.org|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521090217/https://phys.org/news/2018-10-debut-spacex-boeing-crew-capsules.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=5 October 2018|quote=NASA has announced the first crewed flight by a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to take place in June 2019. [...] A flight on Boeing spacecraft is set to follow in August 2019.|url-status=live}} The uncrewed SpaceX Demo-1 mission was launched on 2 March 2019,{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Jason|title=Crew Dragon Safely on the Way to International Space Station|url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/crew-dragon-launches.html|website=The Planetary Society|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521101617/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/crew-dragon-launches.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=2 March 2019|quote=SpaceX's Crew Dragon has successfully launched on its maiden voyage! The spacecraft lifted off as scheduled on 2 March at 02:49 EST (07:49 UTC).|url-status=live}} in which a Crew Dragon successfully docked with the ISS and returned to Earth six days after launch.{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=SpaceX's Crew Dragon Looks Just Like a Toasted Marshmallow After Fiery Re-Entry|url=https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-looks-like-toasted-marshmallow.html|website=Space.com|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521101712/https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-looks-like-toasted-marshmallow.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=8 March 2019|quote=When SpaceX launched its first Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station last week, the gleaming white vehicle soared into space on its maiden voyage. Now, Crew Dragon is back, and it doesn't look so new. SpaceX's Crew Dragon returned to Earth today (March 8) with a smooth splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Wattles|first=Jackie|title=SpaceX Crew Dragon, built to carry humans, returns home from ISS|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/08/tech/spacex-crew-dragon-return-demo-mission/index.html|website=CNN|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521101656/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/08/tech/spacex-crew-dragon-return-demo-mission/index.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=8 March 2019|quote=NASA officials confirmed around 2:30 am ET that the capsule successfully detached from the space station. [...] and it splash down in the Atlantic Ocean around 8:45 am ET.|url-status=live}} The capsule used in the mission, however, was accidentally destroyed in a static fire test of its SuperDraco engines in April 2019,{{Cite web|last=O'Callaghan|first=Jonathan|title=SpaceX's Crew Dragon Suffers 'Anomaly' And May Have Exploded During A Test|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2019/04/22/spacexs-crew-dragon-suffers-anomaly-and-may-have-exploded-during-a-test/#73cec3643b20|website=Forbes|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521101029/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2019/04/22/spacexs-crew-dragon-suffers-anomaly-and-may-have-exploded-during-a-test/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=22 April 2019|quote=SpaceX's historic Crew Dragon spacecraft that launched for the first time last month appears to have exploded, according to reports, potentially delaying the return to flight of humans from American soil. On Saturday, April 20, an explosion was reported at a test stand at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Wall|first=Mike|title=SpaceX Crew Dragon Accident Another Bump in the Road for Commercial Crew|url=https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-accident-nasa-commercial-crew.html|website=Space.com|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521101033/https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-accident-nasa-commercial-crew.html|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=21 April 2019|quote=Nobody was injured, but the capsule — which flew a successful uncrewed demonstration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) just last month — may have incurred serious damage.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Berger|first=Eric|title=Dragon was destroyed just before the firing of its SuperDraco thrusters|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/dragon-was-destroyed-just-before-the-firing-of-its-superdraco-thrusters/|website=Ars Technica|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521100701/https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/dragon-was-destroyed-just-before-the-firing-of-its-superdraco-thrusters/|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=3 May 2019|quote=Koenigsmann said the "anomaly" occurred during a series of tests with the spacecraft, approximately one-half second before the firing of the SuperDraco thrusters. At that point, he said, "There was an anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed." [...] Before this accident, SpaceX and NASA had been targeting early October for the first crewed Dragon mission to the station. Now, that will almost certainly be delayed by at least several months into 2020.|url-status=live}} causing further delays to launch of future Crew Dragon flights.{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=Commercial crew providers prepare for fall test flights|url=https://spacenews.com/commercial-crew-providers-prepare-for-fall-test-flights/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=21 August 2019|date=20 August 2019|quote=However, both an in-flight abort test and the Demo-2 crewed flight test were delayed after the Demo-1 spacecraft, being prepared for the in-flight abort test, was destroyed during preparations for a static-fire test in April at Cape Canaveral.}} The Boeing Orbital Flight Test and Boeing Crew Flight Test, which had both been delayed due to a failed test of Starliner's abort system,{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=Boeing delays Starliner uncrewed test flight after abort engine test problem|url=https://spacenews.com/boeing-delays-starliner-uncrewed-test-flight-after-abort-engine-test-problem/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200525022325/https://spacenews.com/boeing-delays-starliner-uncrewed-test-flight-after-abort-engine-test-problem/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=2 August 2018|quote=Boeing now plans to carry out an uncrewed test flight of its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle late this year or early next year as it addresses a problem found during a recent test of the spacecraft's abort engines. That revised schedule will push back a crewed test flight of the vehicle to the middle of 2019, said John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing's commercial crew program...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Mosher|first=Dave|title=Leaky valves on Boeing's new spacecraft are increasing the risk that NASA astronauts could lose access to the space station|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-starliner-fuel-leak-risks-nasa-access-iss-2018-8|website=Business Insider|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525022340/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/boeing-starliner-fuel-leak-risks-nasa-access-iss-2018-8|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=3 August 2018|quote=But the agency is staring down a real possibility that it might not be able to send people into space after next year. That risk likely increased after Boeing discovered a problem in a new spacecraft system the company designed for NASA. The issue – a fuel leak – appeared on June 2, as Ars Technica first reported, when Boeing test-fired four thrusters designed to propel the Starliner away from a potential launchpad emergency.|url-status=live}} were further pushed without explanation from dates in early-to-mid 2019 to late 2019.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Eric M.|title=Boeing delays by months test flights for U.S. human space program: sources|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-boeing/boeing-delays-by-months-test-flights-for-u-s-human-space-program-sources-idUSKCN1R12QR|website=Reuters|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521091824/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-boeing/boeing-delays-by-months-test-flights-for-u-s-human-space-program-sources-idUSKCN1R12QR|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=21 March 2019|quote=Boeing's first test flight was slated for April but it has been pushed to August, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The new schedule means that Boeing's crewed mission, initially scheduled for August, will be delayed until November.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Haynes|first=Korey|title=Boeing's Starliner test flight delayed by months|url=http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/03/boeings-starliner-test-flight-may-be-delayed-by-months|website=Astronomy|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521091807/http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/03/boeings-starliner-test-flight-may-be-delayed-by-months|archive-date=21 May 2019|date=21 March 2019|quote=...the company will no longer launch an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station in April, Reuters has reported. The flight is being pushed back to August. [...] This Starliner schedule slip will also delay Boeing's first crewed test flight, according to the same reporting, from August to November.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Joy|first=Rachel|title=Boeing readies 'astronaut' for likely October test launch|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/08/02/boeing-readies-astronaut-test-launch/1867717001/|website=Florida Today|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821121907/https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/08/02/boeing-readies-astronaut-test-launch/1867717001/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=2 August 2019|quote=...which will fly on the inaugural flight of the Starliner spacecraft now slated to launch late September or early October from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}
Boeing conducted the Boeing Pad Abort Test in November 2019.{{Cite web|last=Bartels|first=Meghan|title=Boeing Tests Starliner Spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Rocket Emergencies|url=https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-pad-abort-test-success.html|website=Space.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525024704/https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-pad-abort-test-success.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=4 November 2019|quote=Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crewed vehicle aced a crucial safety test this morning (Nov. 4) in the New Mexico desert.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|title=Boeing's Starliner crew spacecraft launch pad abort test is a success|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/04/boeings-starliner-crew-spacecraft-launch-pad-abort-test-is-a-success/|website=TechCrunch|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200525025002/https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/04/boeings-starliner-crew-spacecraft-launch-pad-abort-test-is-a-success/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=5 November 2019|quote=NASA's commercial crew partner Boeing has achieved a key milestone on the way to actually flying astronauts aboard its CST-100 Starliner: Demonstrating that its launch pad abort system works as designed, which is a key safety system that NASA requires to be in place before the aerospace company can put astronauts inside the Starliner.|url-status=live}} NASA accepted the test as successful even though one of three parachutes failed to deploy, since the system landed as designed under two parachutes.{{Cite news|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link=Jeff Foust|title=Missing pin blamed for Boeing pad abort parachute anomaly|url=https://spacenews.com/missing-pin-blamed-for-boeing-pad-abort-parachute-anomaly/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200525024720/https://spacenews.com/missing-pin-blamed-for-boeing-pad-abort-parachute-anomaly/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=7 November 2019|quote=Boeing said Nov. 7 that a misplaced pin prevented a parachute from deploying during a pad abort test of its CST-100 Starliner vehicle three days earlier, the only flaw in a key test of that commercial crew vehicle.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Boeing identifies cause of chute malfunction, preps for Starliner launch|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/11/07/boeing-identifies-cause-of-chute-malfunction-continues-preps-for-first-starliner-launch/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525025000/https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/11/07/boeing-identifies-cause-of-chute-malfunction-continues-preps-for-first-starliner-launch/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=7 November 2019|quote=Only two of the three main parachutes deployed, an issue Boeing has attributed to the lack of a secure connection between the pilot chute and one of the main chutes.|url-status=live}} Boeing conducted the Orbital Flight Test in December 2019 and encountered major malfunctions of Starliner's software which precluded an intended docking with the ISS and prompted a truncation of the mission.{{Cite web|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|title=Boeing Starliner Ends Up in Wrong Orbit After Clock Problem|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/science/boeing-starliner-launch.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525030557/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/science/boeing-starliner-launch.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=20 December 2019|quote=As an Atlas 5 rocket arced upward into the pre-dawn sky from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Friday morning [...] On top of the rocket was Starliner, a capsule built by Boeing, part of a NASA strategy to delegate to private companies to handle the astronaut transportation. [...] The mission will now be cut short, without docking at the International Space Station and likely delaying plans that are already a couple of years behind schedule. [...] the spacecraft's clock was set to the wrong time, and a flawed thruster burn pushed the capsule into the wrong orbit.|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web|last=Weitering|first=Hanneke|title=Boeing's 2nd Starliner software glitch could have led to an in-space collision|url=https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-2nd-software-glitch-potential-collision.html|website=Space.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525031143/https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-2nd-software-glitch-potential-collision.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=8 February 2020|quote=NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that an independent review team has identified several issues during the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission, particularly when it comes to the spacecraft's software. Along with the previously disclosed error with Starliner's onboard timer, a second software issue could have potentially led to a slight but problematic collision of two of the spacecraft's components, investigators determined.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Boeing says thorough testing would have caught Starliner software problems|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/28/boeing-says-thorough-testing-would-have-caught-starliner-software-problems/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525031148/https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/28/boeing-says-thorough-testing-would-have-caught-starliner-software-problems/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=28 February 2020|quote=Boeing missed a pair of software errors during the Starliner's Orbital Flight Test. One prevented the spacecraft from docking with the International Space Station, and the other could have resulted in catastrophic damage to the capsule during its return to Earth.|url-status=live}} The Orbital Flight Test was declared a "high-visibility close call" by NASA following an independent review,{{Efn-lr|"High-visibility mishap" and "high-visibility close call" are designations which describe incidents that impact the mission's spacecraft and/or crew with a high degree of public, media, and/or political attention.{{Cite web|author=NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance|title=NASA Procedural Requirements for Mishap and Close Call Reporting, Investigating, and Recordkeeping w/Change 6|url=https://www.thecampbellinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NASA-Procedural-Requirements-for-Mishap-and-Close-Call.pdf|website=The Campbell Institute|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525035731/https://www.thecampbellinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NASA-Procedural-Requirements-for-Mishap-and-Close-Call.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2020|page=49|date=24 October 2011|quote=High Visibility (Mishaps or Close Calls). Those particular mishaps or close calls, regardless of theamount of property damage or personnel injury, that the Administrator, Chief/OSMA, CD,ED/OHO, or the Center SMA director judges to possess a high degree of programmatic impact or public, media, or political interest including, but not limited to, mishaps and close calls that impact flight hardware, flight software, or completion of critical mission milestones.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Berger|first=Eric|title=NASA declares Starliner mishap a "high visibility close call"|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/nasa-declares-starliner-mishap-a-high-visibility-close-call/|website=Ars Technica|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525031841/https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/nasa-declares-starliner-mishap-a-high-visibility-close-call/ |archive-date=25 May 2020 |date=6 March 2020 |quote=NASA chief of human spaceflight Doug Loverro said Friday that he decided to escalate the incident. So he designated Starliner's uncrewed mission, during which the spacecraft flew a shortened profile and did not attempt to dock with the International Space Station, as a "high visibility close call." This relatively rare designation for NASA's human spaceflight program falls short of "loss of mission" but is nonetheless fairly rare.|url-status=live}} "High-visibility close call" had previously been used to describe an aborted EVA during Expedition 36.{{Cite web|last=Vergano|first=Dan|title=Spacewalk Mishap Tied to Clogged Helmet Filter|url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2014/02/26/spacewalk-mishap-tied-to-clogged-helmet-filter/|website=National Geographic|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525040421/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2014/02/26/spacewalk-mishap-tied-to-clogged-helmet-filter/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=26 February 2014|quote=An International Space Station mishap that nearly killed an astronaut last year happened because of a clogged spacesuit filter, a NASA investigation board said on Wednesday. [...] "This was a high-visibility close call," said NASA's human exploration chief William Gerstenmaier.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Kramer|first=Miriam|title=Spacesuit Leak That Nearly Drowned Astronaut Could Have Been Avoided|url=https://www.space.com/24835-spacesuit-water-leak-nasa-investigation.html|website=Space.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525040427/https://www.space.com/24835-spacesuit-water-leak-nasa-investigation.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=26 February 2014|quote=After the spacesuit incident — which NASA calls a "high visibility close call" — space agency officials halted all non-emergency spacewalks until they could learn more about what caused the malfunction.|url-status=live}}}}{{Cite web|last=Carrazana|first=Chabeli|title=Boeing had 49 gaps in testing for its astronaut capsule before failed flight, independent review finds|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-boeing-starliner-investigation-result-20200306-imofjq5ifvgipo54t742spvhu4-story.html|website=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525031846/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-boeing-starliner-investigation-result-20200306-imofjq5ifvgipo54t742spvhu4-story.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=6 March 2020|quote=An independent review of the decisions that led to a failed test of Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule found systematic and widespread missteps in the legacy company's testing procedures and software development [...] NASA has declared Boeing's mission a "high visibility close call" mishap...|url-status=live}} and a second Orbital Flight Test (Boeing OFT-2) was scheduled for July 2021,{{cite press release |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-media-to-prelaunch-launch-activities-for-boeing-s-orbital-flight-test-2 |title=NASA Invites Media to Prelaunch, Launch Activities for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test-2 |work=NASA |date=3 February 2021 |access-date=4 February 2021}} with Boeing covering the cost of the flight in lieu of additional CCDev funding.{{Cite news|last=Davenport|first=Christian|title=After botched test flight, Boeing will refly its Starliner spacecraft for NASA|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/06/boeing-starliner-test-repeat/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525042657/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/06/boeing-starliner-test-repeat/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=7 April 2020|quote=The repeat flight likely will occur sometime in October or November, meaning the company probably won't fly a mission with astronauts on board this year [...] Repeating the mission and investigating other problems with Starliner is an expensive proposition: Earlier this year, Boeing said it was taking a $410 million charge to offset the cost.|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=After problem-plagued test flight, Boeing will refly crew capsule without astronauts|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/06/after-problem-plagued-test-flight-boeing-will-refly-crew-capsule-without-astronauts/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525042652/https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/06/after-problem-plagued-test-flight-boeing-will-refly-crew-capsule-without-astronauts/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=6 April 2020|quote=Boeing told investors earlier this year it was taking a $410 million charge against its earnings to cover the expected costs of a second unpiloted test flight. [...] "We have chosen to refly our Orbital Flight Test to demonstrate the quality of the Starliner system," Boeing said in a statement [Monday]. "Flying another uncrewed flight will allow us to complete all flight test objectives and evaluate the performance of the second Starliner vehicle at no cost to the [taxpayer"]|url-status=live}} Amid further uncertainties about the Commercial Crew Program's progress, NASA purchased a seat on the Soyuz MS-17 mission to ensure participation in Expedition 64 in the event that operational missions in the program are further delayed,{{Cite web|author=TASS staff|title=Роскосмос подтвердил подписание контракта на доставку астронавта NASA на корабле "Союз"|url=https://tass.ru/kosmos/8456907|website=TASS|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525044620/https://tass.ru/kosmos/8456907|archive-date=25 May 2020|language=ru|date=13 May 2020|quote=Roscosmos and NASA signed a contract for the delivery of one American astronaut on a crewed Soyuz MS spacecraft in Autumn 2020. [...] The head of NASA, Jim Bridenstein [...] also admitted the possibility of buying a second place.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=NASA inks deal with Roscosmos to ensure continuous U.S. presence on space station|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/12/nasa-inks-deal-with-roscosmos-to-ensure-continuous-u-s-presence-on-space-station/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525044629/https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/12/nasa-inks-deal-with-roscosmos-to-ensure-continuous-u-s-presence-on-space-station/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=12 May 2020|quote="To ensure the agency keeps its commitment for safe operations via a continuous U.S. presence aboard the International Space Station until commercial crew capabilities are routinely available, NASA has completed negotiations with the State Space Corporation Roscosmos to purchase one additional Soyuz seat for a launch this fall," NASA said in a statement Tuesday. [...] NASA has not ruled out paying Russia's space agency for an additional Soyuz seat on a launch next April.|url-status=live}} with the purchase of additional Soyuz seats beyond MS-17 being described as a possibility. The SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test was successfully conducted in January 2020,{{Cite web|last=Atkinson|first=Ian|title=SpaceX conducts successful Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525051635/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=17 January 2020|quote=SpaceX successfully launched a unique Falcon 9 rocket at LC-39A for the in-flight abort test of their Crew Dragon spacecraft. The uncrewed test flight saw the spacecraft demonstrate its ability to escape a failing rocket mid-flight. Sunday's launch occurred at 10:30 AM Eastern, with a successful test resulting in the safe splashdown of the Dragon vehicle.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last1=Sheetz|first1=Michael|title=Fiery SpaceX test of Crew Dragon capsule was 'picture perfect,' Elon Musk says|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/19/spacex-livestream-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-launch-on-a-falcon-9.html|website=CNBC|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525051651/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/19/spacex-livestream-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-launch-on-a-falcon-9.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=19 January 2020|quote=SpaceX completed its last major test before flying astronauts to space on Sunday, in a critical high-speed mission that lasted mere minutes. [...] It's a crucial milestone for Musk's space company, as it will be key in determining whether NASA certifies the company's capsule to begin flying the agency's astronauts.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Grush|first=Loren|title=SpaceX successfully tests escape system on new spacecraft — while destroying a rocket|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/18/21070589/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test-falcon-9-watch-live|website=The Verge|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525051641/https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/18/21070589/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test-falcon-9-watch-live|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=19 January 2020|quote=On Sunday morning, SpaceX successfully launched one of its last big flight tests for NASA, a launch that could pave the way for the company to carry passengers into space later this year. [...] With this test now complete, the next big flight of the Crew Dragon will have people on board: NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.|url-status=live}} setting the stage for the final, crewed test flight of Crew Dragon – SpaceX Demo-2 – which launched astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS in May 2020. SpaceX launched its first operational flight, SpaceX Crew-1, on 16 November 2020. It stayed docked to the ISS as planned until 2 May 2021. SpaceX Crew-2 launched on 23 April 2021 and it landed on 9 November 2021, two days before the launch of SpaceX Crew-3. When Boeing OFT-2 was on the pad preparing for launch on 3 August 2021, problems were encountered with 13 valves in the capsule's propulsion system. The launch was scrubbed, and the capsule eventually returned to the factory. Analysis of the problem was still underway in September 2021 and launch was postponed indefinitely. This uncrewed test, Boeing Orbital Flight Test 2, launched on 19 May 2022, and landed successfully on 25 May.{{cite news|title=Nearly two months after discovering a problem with its Starliner spacecraft, Boeing is still searching for answers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/24/boeingnasastarlinerdelay |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Davenport |first=Christian |date=September 24, 2021 | access-date=27 September 2021}}{{Cite web |author1=Josh Dinner |date=2022-05-25 |title=Touchdown! Boeing's Starliner returns to Earth from space station |url=https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-oft-2-landing-success |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=Space.com |language=en}}
On February 28, 2022, NASA announced that it had awarded three additional crew missions to SpaceX bringing the total crew missions for SpaceX to nine and the total contract value to $3,490,872,904.{{Cite web |last=Herridge |first=Linda |date=2022-02-28 |title=NASA Awards SpaceX Additional Crew Flights to Space Station |url=http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-awards-spacex-additional-crew-flights-to-space-station |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=NASA}} In September 2022, NASA announced yet another addition, this time of five missions, bringing the total to fourteen and the total contract value to $4.93 billion.
Spacecraft
The Commercial Crew Program uses the SpaceX Crew Dragon to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS.{{Cite web|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=This Is SpaceX's 1st Crewed Dragon Spaceship Destined for Space|url=https://www.space.com/41006-spacex-first-crew-dragon-spacecraft-test-photos.html|website=Space.com|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821171941/https://www.space.com/41006-spacex-first-crew-dragon-spacecraft-test-photos.html|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=26 June 2019|quote=SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a crewed version of the company's robotic Dragon cargo ship, is one of two commercial space taxis that NASA will use to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is the other. Both spacecraft are designed to carry up to seven astronauts.}} The Boeing CST-100 Starliner will join it in this role after it is human-rated. Both spacecraft are automated but can be remotely controlled from the ground or manually controlled by their crew via touch screens in case of an emergency.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Although the ships seem like a nod to the past—Apollo-style "capsules" instead of the spaceplanes astronauts rode to orbit for 30 years [...] Both the Starliner and Crew Dragon will travel to the station and dock automatically, with no astronaut input. (The crew can take manual control if something goes wrong.)"}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="("CST," by the way, stands for "crew space transportation.") Starliner also features sleek touch-screen displays and has about the same amount of internal volume as the SpaceX capsule."}} The crew cabins of both spacecraft feature {{Convert|11|m3|ft3|abbr=off|sp=us}} of pressurized volume,{{Harvard citation no brackets|Howell|2018|loc="The Starliner has a diameter of 15 feet (4.5 meters); a length of 16.5 feet (5 m), which includes the service module; and a volume of about 390 cubic feet (11 cubic md)."}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="The gumdrop-shaped cargo Dragon is 14.4 feet tall and 12 feet wide at the base (4.4 by 3.7 meters), with 390 cubic feet (11 cubic meters) of internal volume."}} and can be configured to carry up to seven crew each, though NASA will only send up to four crew on each mission in the program; an extension to occupy a fifth seat is available to NASA.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Seating Capacity: Up to 7 NASA required that each vehicle be able to transport four people to and from the station. A fifth seat is available on both vehicles. Each company advertises a seating capacity of seven."}} Both spacecraft are certified to last up to 210 days{{Efn-lr|NASA extended this to 240 days for Crew-8 to allow it to support the CFT}} docked to the ISS.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Howell|2018|loc="Once the Starliner is attached to the space station, it's designed to stay there for 210 days — ample time to allow for the usual crew stays of six months, or 180 days."}}{{Cite web|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|title=NASA and SpaceX set historic first astronaut launch for May 27|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/17/nasa-and-spacex-set-historic-first-astronaut-launch-for-may-27/|website=TechCrunch|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200526023854/https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/17/nasa-and-spacex-set-historic-first-astronaut-launch-for-may-27/|archive-date=26 May 2020|date=18 April 2020|quote=That Crew Dragon, which is the fully operational version, is designed for stays of at least 210 days, and the crew complement of four astronauts, including three from NASA and one from Japan's space agency, is already determined.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last1=Burghardt|first1=Michael|last2=Ingham|first2=Jay|last3=Lembeck|first3=Michael F.|last4=Reiley|first4=Keith|last5=Wood|first5=Michael|title=Design Considerations for a Commercial Crew Transportation System|url=http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/space/ccts/docs/Space_2011_Boeing.pdf|website=The Boeing Company|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501135247/http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/space/ccts/docs/Space_2011_Boeing.pdf|archive-date=1 May 2013|page=3|date=1 May 2013|quote=The CST 100 can operate autonomously for up to 60 hours of free-flight [...] The vehicle can stay docked to a host complex for up to 210 days...|url-status=dead}} In addition, the spacecraft were designed to meet NASA's per-mission safety standard of a 1-in-270 chance of catastrophic failure, which is less risky than the 1-in-90 chance of the Space Shuttle.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Designers are working to a challenging safety standard: a 1-in-270 chance of a fatal accident, as compared to the 1-in-90 chance calculated for the space shuttle by the time it retired in 2011."}}
The spacecraft and the ISS have docking mechanisms that implement the International Docking System Standard (IDSS).{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2020/sealed-with-care-a-qa|title=Sealed with Care – A Q&A|publisher=NASA|date=August 3, 2020|access-date= October 3, 2022}} The NASA Docking System implementation is used by Starliner and ISS,{{Cite web|last=Szondy|first=David|title=First manned flight test of Boeing's Starliner to the ISS extended, but launch delayed|url=https://newatlas.com/nasa-extends-boeing-first-manned-mission/59146/|website=New Atlas|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821173442/https://newatlas.com/nasa-extends-boeing-first-manned-mission/59146/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=4 April 2019|quote=The Starliner is designed to be flown up to 10 times before it needs replacement [...] the new NASA Docking System (NDS) that will be used to dock with the ISS...|url-status=live}} while Crew Dragon uses a compatible IDSS implementation developed by SpaceX. The IDSS docks are used instead of the Common Berthing Mechanism used by previous Commercial Orbital Transportation Services spacecraft such as the first-generation Dragon.{{Cite web|last=Speed|first=Richard|title=SpaceX Crew Dragon: Launched and docked. Now, about that splashdown...|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/04/demo1_spacex_launch/|website=The Register|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821173446/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/04/demo1_spacex_launch/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=4 March 2019|quote=Another very important difference is the nose cone, which hinges to reveal the NASA Docking System (NDS). The cargo-only Dragon uses the larger Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) for docking...|url-status=live}}
=Crew Dragon=
{{main|SpaceX Dragon 2}}
SpaceX's Crew Dragon is a variant of the company's Dragon 2 class of spacecraft, which is an upgraded version of the first-generation Dragon.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="Crew Dragon is a modified version of its cargo counterpart, and will also launch atop the Falcon 9."}}{{Cite web|last=Gray|first=Tyler|title=CRS-20 – Final Dragon 1 arrives at the ISS |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/03/spacex-final-dragon-1-mission-iss/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525134944/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/03/spacex-final-dragon-1-mission-iss/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=9 March 2020|quote=The first iteration of SpaceX's Dragon has successfully flown twenty missions to the ISS to date [...] CRS-20 is the last flight of the first-generation Dragon spacecraft, with the cargo version of the upgraded Dragon 2 spacecraft expected to take over services next year as part of Phase 2 of the CRS program, also known as CRS2.|url-status=live}} It measures {{Convert|3.7|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} wide, {{Convert|4.4|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} tall without its trunk, and {{Convert|7.2|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} with its trunk.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Diameter: 12.1 ft. Height: 23.6 ft. Dimensions include Dragon's cargo "trunk.""}} While trunks are discarded prior to capsule reentry,{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="Reusable?: Yes, Dragons are reusable, although test flights will fly new vehicles. Cargo trunk is discarded after each flight."}} crew cabins are designed to be reusable.{{Cite web|last=Sheetz|first=Michael|title=SpaceX on track to launch first NASA astronauts in May, president says|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/spacex-aiming-for-may-astronaut-launch-will-reuse-crew-dragon.html|website=CNBC|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525131345/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/spacex-aiming-for-may-astronaut-launch-will-reuse-crew-dragon.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=10 March 2020|quote=Shotwell also noted that SpaceX is planning to reuse its Crew Dragon capsules. That was in doubt previously, as the leader of NASA's Commercial Crew program said in 2018 that SpaceX would use a new capsule each time the company flew the agency's astronauts. "We can fly crew more than once on a Crew Dragon," Shotwell said. "I'm pretty sure NASA is going to be okay with reuse."|url-status=live}} After earlier plans of SpaceX to use new capsules for every crewed flight for NASA{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/spacex-aiming-for-may-astronaut-launch-will-reuse-crew-dragon.html|title=SpaceX on track to launch first NASA astronauts in May, president says|first=Michael|last=Sheetz |date=10 March 2020|work=CNBC|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525131345/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/spacex-aiming-for-may-astronaut-launch-will-reuse-crew-dragon.html|url-status=live}} both agreed to reuse Crew Dragon capsules for NASA flights.{{cite news|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/06/23/nasa-agrees-to-fly-astronauts-on-reused-crew-dragon-spacecraft/|title=NASA agrees to fly astronauts on reused Crew Dragon spacecraft|work=Spaceflight Now|date=23 June 2020|access-date=23 July 2020|archive-date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716210200/https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/06/23/nasa-agrees-to-fly-astronauts-on-reused-crew-dragon-spacecraft/|url-status=live}}{{cite tweet |user=jeff_foust|number=1286312153193029633|date=23 July 2020|title=McErlean: NASA's plans call for reusing the Falcon 9 booster from the Crew-1 mission on the Crew-2 mission, and to reuse the Demo-2 capsule for Crew-2 as well.}} In 2022, SpaceX stated that a capsule can be reused up to fifteen times.{{cite web |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=SpaceX to launch last new cargo Dragon spacecraft |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-to-launch-last-new-cargo-dragon-spacecraft/ |website=SpaceNews |access-date=18 February 2023 |date=19 November 2022 |quote=Walker revealed at the briefing SpaceX plans to build a fifth and likely final Crew Dragon.}} Crew Dragon spacecraft can spend up to a week in free flight without being docked to the ISS.{{Cite web|last=Ralph|first=Eric|title=DeepSpace: SpaceX takes huge step towards Mars with flawless Crew Dragon performance |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mars-flawless-crew-dragon-launch/|website=Teslarati|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526025346/https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mars-flawless-crew-dragon-launch/|archive-date=26 May 2020|date=6 March 2019|quote=...Crew Dragon does not need a significant number of systems critical for longer stays in space, as it is only designed to support humans for approximately one week in free-flight.|url-status=live}} Each Crew Dragon capsule is equipped with a launch escape system consisting of eight of SpaceX's SuperDraco engines, which provide {{Convert|71000|newtons|lbf|abbr=off|sp=us}} of thrust each.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="Crew Dragon is also outfitted with an emergency escape system, which consists of eight SuperDraco engines built into the capsule's walls. If something goes wrong at any point during a Crew Dragon flight, these engines can fire up and carry the spacecraft and its passengers to safety."}}{{Cite book|last=Seedhouse|first=Erik|editor-last=Cressy|editor-first=Christine|title=SpaceX's Dragon: America's Next Generation Spacecraft|date=2015|publisher=Springer|location=Daytona Beach, Florida|isbn=978-3-319-21515-0|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-21515-0|page=132|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crnfCgAAQBAJ|access-date=25 May 2020|language=en|quote=The first test of the SuperDraco [...] was an impressive demonstration of what the engine could do, not only sustaining its 71,000 newtons (16,000 pounds) of thrust...}}{{Cite web|last1=Weitering|first1=Hanneke|title=The Emergency Launch Abort Systems of SpaceX and Boeing Explained|url=https://www.space.com/launch-abort-systems-of-spacex-boeing.html|website=Space.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525090718/https://www.space.com/launch-abort-systems-of-spacex-boeing.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=24 April 2019|quote=SpaceX has built the thrusters into the capsule's outer walls. Eight SuperDraco engines are embedded in the hull and will "push" the capsule away from the rocket in an emergency. [...] Boeing's CST-100 Starliner uses a similar launch escape system as the one on the Crew Dragon, but instead of eight SuperDraco engines, it uses four RS-88 engines, which are built by Aerojet Rocketdyne.|url-status=live}} These engines were originally intended to also perform a propulsive landing upon return to Earth, with the first test vehicle having been equipped for such capabilities,{{Cite web|last=Leone|first=Dan|title=SpaceX's SuperDraco Thruster for Manned Dragon Spacecraft Passes Big Test (Video)|url=https://www.space.com/26045-spacex-superdraco-thruster-passes-test-video.html|website=Space.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525134148/https://www.space.com/26045-spacex-superdraco-thruster-passes-test-video.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=29 May 2014|quote=Besides launch abort, SuperDraco thrusters will allow SpaceX's spacecraft to land propulsively on the ground, the company says. Propulsive Dragon landing tests are slated to begin at McGregor under the DragonFly program |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Bergin|first=Chris|title=SpaceX DragonFly arrives at McGregor for testing|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/10/spacex-dragonfly-arrives-mcgregor-testing/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525134152/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/10/spacex-dragonfly-arrives-mcgregor-testing/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=21 October 2015|quote=SpaceX's DragonFly test vehicle has arrived at its test facility in McGregor, Texas. DragonFly will be attached to a large crane, ahead of a series of test firings of its SuperDraco thrusters to set the stage towards the eventual goal of propulsive landings. |url-status=live}} but these plans were ultimately abandoned in favor of a traditional splashdown return near Florida in either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="It makes parachute-aided splashdowns in the ocean when its work on orbit is done. [...] SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk had previously stated that Crew Dragon would eventually be capable of touchdowns on terra firma, using parachutes and retrorocket firings [...] But that option is apparently no longer in the works."}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Landing Site: Atlantic Ocean"}} SpaceX's CCtCap contract values each seat on a Crew Dragon flight to be between US$60–67 million on the first six missions,{{Cite web|last=Dreier|first=Casey|title=NASA's Commercial Crew Program is a Fantastic Deal|url=https://www.planetary.org/blogs/casey-dreier/2020/nasas-commercial-crew-is-a-great-deal-for-the-agency.html|website=The Planetary Society|access-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627030640/https://www.planetary.org/blogs/casey-dreier/2020/nasas-commercial-crew-is-a-great-deal-for-the-agency.html|archive-date=27 June 2020|date=19 May 2020|quote=Crew Dragon $60 - $67 million; Starliner $91 - $99 million [...] Starliner and Crew Dragon per-seat costs use the total contract value for operations divided by the maximum 24 seats available. The upper range reflects the inclusion of NASA's program overhead.|url-status=live}} while the face value of each seat has been estimated by NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to be around US$55 million.{{Cite web|last=McCarthy|first=Niall|title=Why SpaceX Is A Game Changer For NASA [Infographic]|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/06/04/why-spacex-is-a-game-changer-for-nasa-infographic/#4c5e22801656|website=Forbes|access-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627030645/https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/06/04/why-spacex-is-a-game-changer-for-nasa-infographic/#71bde5216ff2|archive-date=27 June 2020|date=4 June 2020|quote=According to the NASA audit, the SpaceX Crew Dragon's per-seat cost works out at an estimated $55 million while a seat on Boeing's Starliner is approximately $90 million...|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last1=McFall-Johnsen|first1=Morgan|last2=Mosher|first2=Dave|last3=Secon|first3=Holly|title=SpaceX is set to launch astronauts on Wednesday. Here's how Elon Musk's company became NASA's best shot at resurrecting American spaceflight|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-boeing-nasa-commercial-crew-program-launch-astronauts-2020-1|website=Business Insider|access-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627031056/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/spacex-boeing-nasa-commercial-crew-program-launch-astronauts-2020-1|archive-date=27 June 2020|date=26 January 2020|quote=Eventually, a round-trip seat on the Crew Dragon is expected to cost about $US55 million. A seat on Starliner will cost about $US90 million. That's according to a November 2019 report from the NASA Office of Inspector General.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Wall|first=Mike|title=Here's How Much NASA Is Paying Per Seat on SpaceX's Crew Dragon & Boeing's Starliner|url=https://www.space.com/spacex-boeing-commercial-crew-seat-prices.html|website=Space.com|access-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627031359/https://www.space.com/spacex-boeing-commercial-crew-seat-prices.html|archive-date=27 June 2020 |date=16 November 2019|quote=NASA will likely pay about $90 million for each astronaut who flies aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule on International Space Station (ISS) missions, the report estimated. The per-seat cost for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, meanwhile, will be around $55 million, according to the OIG's calculations.|url-status=live}} Per-mission cost for the first contract extension (missions 7, 8, and 9) is $258.7 million ($64.6 million/seat), and per-mission cost for the second contract extension (missions 10 through 14) is $288 million ($72 million/seat).
=Starliner=
{{main|Boeing Starliner}}
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner – "CST" an acronym for "Crew Space Transportation" – measures {{Convert|4.6|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} in diameter and {{Convert|5.1|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} in height.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Head / Leg Room: Diameter: 15 ft. Height: 16.6 ft. Dimensions include service (propulsion) module."}} The crew module of Starliner can be reused for up to ten flights, while the service module is expended during each flight.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Reusable?: Yes Crew capsule can be reflown up to 10 times. Service module will be discarded after each flight."}} Various engines manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne for orbital maneuvering, attitude control, reaction control, and launch escape, are utilized by Starliner.{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Aerojet Rocketdyne wins propulsion contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/11/27/aerojet-rocketdyne-wins-propulsion-contracts-worth-nearly-1-4-billion/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608113336/https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/11/27/aerojet-rocketdyne-wins-propulsion-contracts-worth-nearly-1-4-billion/|archive-date=8 June 2020|date=27 November 2015|quote=Aerojet Rocketdyne, an aerospace propulsion contractor based in Sacramento, California, also announced this week it secured an expected contract from Boeing to provide thrusters, fuel tanks and abort engines for the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew capsule. [...] Each shipset includes four 40,000-pound thrust launch abort engines for the CST-100's pusher escape system and 24 orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters, each generating 1,500 pounds of thrust for low-altitude abort attitude control and in-space orbit adjustments.|url-status=live}} Eight reaction control engines on the spacecraft's crew module and 28 reaction control engines on the spacecraft's service module provide {{Convert|380|newtons|lbf|abbr=off|sp=us}} and {{Convert|445|newtons|lbf|abbr=off|sp=us}} each, respectively.{{Cite web|last=Gebhardt|first=Chris|title=Boeing, ULA launches Starliner, suffers orbital insertion issue – will return home Sunday|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/12/boeing-ula-momentous-starliner-uncrewed-test-flight/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525093520/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/12/boeing-ula-momentous-starliner-uncrewed-test-flight/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=19 December 2019|quote=The Crew Module is equipped with 12 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that can produce 100 lbf of thrust each. [...] The Service Module contains 28 RCS thrusters that produce 85 lbf thrust each and 20 Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control (OMAC) engines. The OMACs produce 1,500 lbf thrust each. [...] This suborbital trajectory was requested by Boeing so that under normal conditions, Starliner can then burn most of its unused launch abort fuel (via the Orbit Insertion Burn) to lighten its mass before it boosts its orbit to phase up to the Station.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Rhian|first=Jason|title=Launch Abort Engines for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner undergo testing|url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/boeing/launch-abort-engines-boeing-cst-100-starliner-undergo-testing/|website=Spaceflight Insider|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525093525/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/boeing/launch-abort-engines-boeing-cst-100-starliner-undergo-testing/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=2 November 2016|quote=The OMAC thrusters are 1,500-pound (6,672-newton) thrust class and are used for low-altitude launch abort attitude control, maneuvering, and stage-separation functions [...] The spacecraft's RCS engines are 100-pound (445-newton) thrust class and provide high-altitude abort attitude control and on-orbit maneuvering.|url-status=live}} Also located on the service module, 20 custom-made Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control (OMAC) engines provide {{Convert|6700|newtons|lbf|abbr=off|sp=us}} of thrust each, while four RS-88 engines provide {{Convert|178000|newtons|lbf|abbr=off|sp=us}} of thrust each in a launch abort scenario.{{Cite web|author=The Boeing Company|title=Reporter's Starliner Notebook|url=https://www.boeing.com/space/starliner/launch/documents/Starliner_Notebook.pdf|website=The Boeing Company|access-date=25 May 2020|page=5|date=December 2019|quote=Service Module: [...] 4 Launch Abort Engines, 40,000 lbf each}} During a nominal flight without a launch abort, Starliner can use unspent fuel reserved for its RS-88 engines to help its OMAC engines perform the orbital insertion burn, following separation from the Centaur upper stage during launch. Once in space, Starliner spacecraft can survive up to 60 hours in free flight. Unlike Crew Dragon, Starliner is designed to return to Earth on land instead of ocean, using airbags to cushion the vehicle's impact with the ground.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wall|2018|loc="But Starliner touches down on land, not in the ocean, and therefore also sports impact-cushioning airbags at its rounded base."}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Landing Site: Western U.S. Starliner will parachute to dry land, like Soyuz, and use airbags to cushion the impact. Landing sites at White Sands, NM; Dugway Proving Ground, UT; Edwards AFB, CA; Willcox Playa, AZ."}} Four sites in the western contiguous United States – the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, Edwards Air Force Base in California, White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and Willcox Playa in Arizona – will serve as landing ranges for returning Starliner spacecraft, though in an emergency scenario, it is also equipped to perform a splashdown return.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Howell|2018|loc="If an emergency takes place, though, the spacecraft can splash down in the ocean, just like Apollo and Dragon."}} Boeing's CCtCap contract values each seat on a CST-100 flight to be between US$91–99 million, while the face value of each seat has been estimated by NASA's OIG to be around US$90 million.
Missions
NASA missions to the ISS launch on an average every six months. As part of the original contracts Boeing and SpaceX each were initially contracted for up to six operational flights.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Reichhardt|2018|loc="Each company has contracted for up to six additional taxi flights, during which the Starliner or Crew Dragon will dock with the station, remain attached for six months as a lifeboat for the crew, then return the astronauts to Earth."}}{{Cite web|last=Harding|first=Pete|title=Commercial rotation plans firming up as US Segment crew to increase early|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/commercial-rotation-us-segment-crew-increase-early/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821133354/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/commercial-rotation-us-segment-crew-increase-early/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=26 February 2017|quote=But with the new generation of US commercial crew vehicles, which can accommodate four astronauts, it will finally become possible to increase the station's crew size to its originally conceived number of seven, including four USOS crewmembers. [...] establishing the norm for all subsequent commercial crew vehicles, which will then continue to launch at a cadence of once every six months.|url-status=live}} NASA later contracted with SpaceX for up to an additional eight flights as a contingency if Starliner is further delayed and to ensure service to the ISS until 2030.
=Crew Dragon Missions=
{{main|SpaceX Dragon 2#List of flights}}
SpaceX's Crew-1 mission, the first operational flight in the program, carried Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Soichi Noguchi, and Shannon Walker to the ISS in November 2020 aboard Resilience.{{cite press release|last=Northon|first=Karen|title=NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Crew-1 Mission Update, Target New Date|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacex-invite-media-to-crew-1-mission-update-target-new-launch-date|publisher=NASA|date=26 October 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Carter|first=Jamie|title='Historic' NASA-SpaceX Rocket Launch Will Begin New Era In Human Spaceflight This Week|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/05/23/spacex-and-nasa-will-open-a-new-era-in-human-spaceflight-this-week-in-the-year-everything-changed/#29df68417330|website=Forbes|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525064518/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/05/23/spacex-and-nasa-will-open-a-new-era-in-human-spaceflight-this-week-in-the-year-everything-changed/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=23 May 2020|quote=...Crew-1, that will see four astronauts—three astronauts from NASA (Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Victor Glover) and one, Soichi Noguchi, from JAXA, the Japanese space agency—head from Florida to the ISS for a planned six-month expedition. Crew-1 will be SpaceX's first scheduled crew rotation mission.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|author=The Planetary Society staff|title=Your Guide to Crew Dragon's First Astronaut Flight|url=https://www.planetary.org/blogs/crew-dragon-astro-flight.html|website=The Planetary Society|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525064523/https://www.planetary.org/blogs/crew-dragon-astro-flight.html|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=20 May 2020|quote=Not just NASA astronauts will fly aboard Crew Dragon—Japan's Soichi Noguchi will be 1 of 4 crewmembers on the very next flight scheduled for September 2020.|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Gebhardt|first=Chris|title=NASA briefly updates status of Crew Dragon anomaly, SpaceX test schedule|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/05/nasa-briefly-crew-dragon-anomaly-spacex-schedule/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821140952/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/05/nasa-briefly-crew-dragon-anomaly-spacex-schedule/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=29 May 2019|quote=Even with the anomaly that occurred last month, Ms. Lueders was able to update the NAC directly on the current hardware readiness dates for the In Flight Abort test and the Demo-2 crew mission, both of which now have to use different Crew Dragon capsules than originally planned. [...] Current capsule reassignments: [...] SN 207; Original Assignment Crew-2; New Assignment Crew-1|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|author-link1=Jeff Foust|title=NASA safety panel has lingering doubts about Boeing Starliner quality control|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-safety-panel-has-lingering-doubts-about-boeing-starliner-quality-control/|website=SpaceNews|access-date=24 July 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200724173841/https://spacenews.com/nasa-safety-panel-has-lingering-doubts-about-boeing-starliner-quality-control/|archive-date=24 July 2020|date=24 July 2020|quote=...the first operational Crew Dragon mission, Crew-1. NASA said in a July 22 media advisory it anticipated a launch no earlier than late September. [...] NASA approved a contract modification in May that allows SpaceX to reuse boosters and capsule starting on the Crew-2 mission, which would launch in 2021. McErlean said NASA expects that the Crew-2 will use the Falcon 9 booster that launches Crew-1, and the capsule from the ongoing Demo-2 mission.|url-status=live}} Resilience was originally planned to be used for Crew-2, but was reassigned following a scheduling change resulting from the accidental destruction of C204 during testing. While NASA astronauts were given assignments to either Crew Dragon or Starliner flights, Noguchi – a JAXA astronaut – was open for assignment to whichever spacecraft would launch the first operational mission.{{Cite web|last=Gebhardt|first=Chris|title=Station mission planning reveals new target Commercial Crew launch dates|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/06/station-planning-new-crew-launch-dates/|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821141913/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/06/station-planning-new-crew-launch-dates/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=20 June 2019|quote=...the two U.S. crew members who will be on that flight to the Station in May 2020 is completely dependent on whether Starliner or Dragon flies the mission. [...] Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi will be on that first crew rotation mission regardless of which commercial partner flies it.|url-status=live}} With Chris Cassidy having arrived at the ISS during Soyuz MS-16, the arrival of the astronauts aboard Resilience marked the first time since the Space Shuttle program in which the US Orbital Segment of the ISS was completely staffed with four crew.{{Cite web|last=Harwood|first=William|title=Soyuz crew docks with the International Space Station|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/09/soyuz-crew-docks-with-the-international-space-station/|website=Spaceflight Now|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525063502/https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/09/soyuz-crew-docks-with-the-international-space-station/|archive-date=25 May 2020|date=9 April 2020|quote=Strapped into the Soyuz MS-16/62S command module's center seat was veteran cosmonaut Anatoli Ivanishin, joined by rookie flight engineer Ivan Vagner on the left and Navy SEAL-turned-astronaut Chris Cassidy on the right.|url-status=live}} Crew-2 launched in April 2021, using a previously-flown Falcon 9 first-stage booster and a refurbished Crew Dragon for the first time.{{cite web |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |title=NASA says SpaceX can reuse Crew Dragon capsules and rockets on astronaut missions: report |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-reuse-crew-dragon-falcon-9-rockets.html |website=Space.com |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630000514/https://www.space.com/spacex-reuse-crew-dragon-falcon-9-rockets.html |archive-date=30 June 2020 |date=18 June 2020 |quote=The agency has approved the use of preflown Crew Dragon capsules and Falcon 9 rockets on SpaceX's crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS) [...] The first flight with used hardware could be Crew-2, the second contracted mission, which will likely lift off sometime in 2021... |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacex-invite-media-to-next-commercial-crew-launch|title=NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Next Commercial Crew Launch|last=Potter|first=Sean|publisher=NASA|date=5 March 2021|access-date=5 March 2021}} {{PD-notice}} The mission carried Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet aboard Endeavour.{{cite web |last1=Potter |first1=Sean |title=NASA Announces Astronauts to Fly on SpaceX Crew-2 Mission |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-astronauts-to-fly-on-spacex-crew-2-mission-to-space-station |publisher=NASA |date=28 July 2020}} Crew-3 launched in November 2021, carrying Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, Matthias Maurer and Kayla Barron to the ISS,{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-esa-choose-astronauts-for-spacex-crew-3-mission-to-space-station |title=NASA, ESA Choose Astronauts for SpaceX Crew-3 Mission to Space Station |author= |date=December 14, 2020 |website=NASA.gov |publisher=NASA |access-date=December 14, 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/kayla-barron-joins-nasa-s-spacex-crew-3-mission-to-space-station |title=Kayla Barron Joins NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 Mission to Space Station |author= |date=May 17, 2021 |website=NASA.gov |publisher=NASA |access-date=May 18, 2021 }} and Crew-4 launched Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Samantha Cristoforetti and Jessica Watkins in April 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-assigns-astronauts-to-agency-s-spacex-crew-4-mission-to-space-station |title=NASA Assigns Astronauts to Agency's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission to Space Station |author= |date=February 12, 2021 |website=NASA.gov |publisher=NASA |access-date=February 12, 2021 }} {{PD-notice}}{{cite web |url=https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/sma-disciplines-and-programs/smsr/smsr-intergrated-master-schedule_24feb2020.pdf |title=SMSR Integrated Master Schedule |work=Office of Safety and Mission Assurance |publisher=NASA |date=7 June 2021 |access-date=13 June 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Commanding_role_for_ESA_astronaut_Samantha_Cristoforetti |title=Commanding role for ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti |author= |date=May 28, 2021 |publisher=European Space Agency |access-date=June 13, 2021 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-assigns-astronaut-jessica-watkins-to-nasa-s-spacex-crew-4-mission|title=NASA Assigns Astronaut Jessica Watkins to NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=NASA|date=16 November 2021 }} US astronauts Josh Cassada, Nicole Aunapu Mann and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata initially assigned to Starliner crewed flights were reassigned to Crew-5 mission after delays in the Starliner program.{{cite press release|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-astronaut-changes-for-upcoming-commercial-crew-missions|title=NASA Announces Astronaut Changes for Upcoming Commercial Crew Missions|publisher=NASA|date=6 October 2021|access-date=6 October 2021}} {{PD-notice}}{{cite tweet|number=1447753014777810947|user=jaxa_wdc|title=JAXA has announced their WAKATA Koichi @Astro_Wakata is headed for the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's…|date=12 October 2021}} The fourth astronaut on Crew-5 is filled by a Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina and thus becoming to be a part of the Soyuz-Dragon crew swap system, that is, keeping at least one NASA astronaut and one Roscosmos cosmonaut on each of the crew rotation missions. That would ensure both countries would have a presence on the station, and ability to maintain their separate systems, if either Soyuz or commercial crew vehicles are grounded for an extended period.{{Cite web|date=2021-10-26|title=Rogozin says Crew Dragon safe for Russian cosmonauts|url=https://spacenews.com/rogozin-says-crew-dragon-safe-for-russian-cosmonauts/|access-date=2021-10-29|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US}}
On 3 December 2021, NASA made clear it would secure up to an additional three flights from SpaceX to maintain an uninterrupted U.S. capability for human access to the space station.{{cite web |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2021/12/03/nasa-to-secure-additional-commercial-crew-transportation/ |title=NASA to Secure Additional Commercial Crew Transportation |date=3 December 2021 |publisher=NASA Blogs}} The background to this was that SpaceX was likely to launch its sixth flight in early 2023 potentially before Boeing's first operational flight,{{cite tweet |number=1466897394533076999 |user=thesheetztweetz |title=NASA announces the agency intends to acquire "up to three additional crew flights to the International Space Station" from SpaceX, with the company halfway through its initial 6 flight contract and Boeing's Starliner capsule not yet operational, NASA says it may need to use the additional Crew Dragon flights "as early as 2023," effectively giving an additional buffer for any more Starliner delays.|date=3 December 2021}} and NASA concluded that only SpaceX had the capability needed.
NASA and Roscosmos agreed to a seat-swapping agreement initially for three flights each, starting with Crew-5 in 2022. A Russian cosmonaut was to fly on one Crew Dragon flight per year while an American astronaut was to fly on one Soyuz flight per year. This arrangement ensures that ISS will have at least one crew member to operate essential services even if one or the other type of spacecraft is grounded.{{cite news |author= |date=August 4, 2022 |title=Russian-US seat swap agreement to be in force through the end of 2024 — NASA |url=https://tass.com/science/1489643 |work=TASS |location= |access-date=August 5, 2022}} Starting with Crew-5 a cosmonaut has flown on each CCP Dragon flight and a NASA astronaut has flown on each Soyuz flight. The agreement has been extended to 2027.{{cite news|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-extends-seat-barter-agreement-with-roscosmos-into-2027|title=NASA extends seat barter agreement with Roscosmos into 2027|first=Jeff|last=Foust|date=April 13, 2025|access-date=April 14, 2025}}
On 31 August 2022, NASA awarded SpaceX with an additional 5 flights bringing the total number of contracted Crew Dragon flights to 14. The additional flights will run through 2030.{{cite web | url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-awards-spacex-more-crew-flights-to-space-station | title=NASA Awards SpaceX More Crew Flights to Space Station | date=31 August 2022 }}
The Crew-8 and Crew-9 missions were both modified in response to the unexpected need to support the crew of the Starliner Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), which visited ISS during the Crew-8 mission. Problems with the Starliner caused NASA to extend its mission and ultimately to bring the spacecraft back to Earth without crew. The Crew-8 mission was extended and its Dragon was fitted with two additional makeshift crew seats to allow it to serve as a "lifeboat" for the CFT crew if evacuation had been needed before Crew-9 arrived. Crew-9 was modified to launch with only two crew members and two empty seats. Its launch was delayed for weeks until Starliner was able to undock from ISS and clear the docking port. When Crew-9 arrived at ISS, the crew of CFT became members of the Crew-9 crew and returned on Crew-9 at the end of its mission.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGOswKRSsHc |title=NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Status News Conference |date=2024-08-24 |last=Stich |first=Steve |author-link= |publisher=NASA |time=1:22:00 |access-date=2024-08-25 |via=YouTube}}
=Boeing Starliner Missions=
{{main|Boeing Starliner#List of flights}}
{{As of|October 2024}}, the first operational flight has not been scheduled. It depends on successful completion of a Crewed Flight Test.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZFUUEEjYqU|title=NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Mission Overview News Conference|publisher=NASA|date=26 July 2024|access-date=26 July 2024}} The Starliner's inaugural Crewed Flight Test launched on June 5, 2024, had a myriad of problems including; helium leaks during transit which disabled thrusters, five of the eight reaction control system failed during approach to the ISS, and an RCS oxidizer isolation valve failed to close after docking. Ultimately NASA decided to re-enter the Starliner to earth without its crew, who instead joined SpaceX Crew-9 when it arrived at ISS in September 2024 and returned with it in March 2025.{{Cite news |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |date=2024-08-24 |title=Boeing Starliner's astronauts will return to Earth on Spacex Crew Dragon, NASA says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/24/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-spacex?cid=ios_app |access-date=2024-08-24 |journal=CNN |language=en}} Due to these problems, Starliner did not receive system certification.{{Cite web |last=Niles-Carnes |first=Elyna |date=2024-10-15 |title=NASA Updates 2025 Commercial Crew Plan |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2024/10/15/nasa-updates-2025-commercial-crew-plan/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=NASA |language=en-US|quote="The timing and configuration of Starliner's next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing's path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness. NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification. NASA will provide more information when available."}}
NASA hopes to extend the seat-swapping arrangement with Roscosmos to include Starliner flights after Starliner has enough flights, which will be no earlier than the Starliner-2 flight.{{cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/russia-may-skip-first-operational-starliner-mission|title=Russia may skip first operational Starliner mission|first=Jeff|last=Foust|date=May 5, 2024|access-date=August 20, 2024|website=SpaceNews}}
=Operational CCP missions=
{{sticky header}}
class="wikitable sticky-header"
! Mission ! Patch ! Launch date ! Launch vehicle{{Efn|Falcon 9 first-stage boosters have a four-digit serial number. A decimal point followed by a number indicates the flight count. For example, B1061.1 and B1061.2 represent the first and second flights of booster B1061.}} ! Spacecraft{{efn|A decimal point followed by a number indicates the flight count. For example, C207.1 and C207.2 represent the first and second flights of Dragon C207, Crew Dragon Resilience.}} ! Duration ! Crew |
{{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-1|{{Nobold|Expedition 64/65}}}}
| 15 November 2020 | Crew Dragon | {{Success|{{time interval|2020-11-16 00:27|2021-05-02 06:56|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}} | {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Michael Hopkins|{{Flag icon|United States}} Victor Glover|{{Flag icon|Japan}} Soichi Noguchi|{{Flag icon|United States}} Shannon Walker}} |
---|
{{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-2|{{Nobold|Expedition 65/66}}}}
| 23 April 2021 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew Dragon | {{Success|{{time interval|23 April 2021, 09:49:02|9 November 2021, 03:33:16|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}} | {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Shane Kimbrough|{{Flag icon|United States}} Megan McArthur|{{Flag icon|Japan}} Akihiko Hoshide|{{Flag icon|France}} Thomas Pesquet}} |
{{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-3|{{Nobold|Expedition 66/67}}}}
| Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew Dragon | {{Success|{{time interval|2021-11-11 02:04|2022-05-06 04:43|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}} | {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Raja Chari|{{Flag icon|United States}} Thomas Marshburn|{{Flag icon|Germany}} Matthias Maurer|{{flagicon|USA}} Kayla Barron}} |
{{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-4|{{Nobold|Expedition 67/68}}}}
| 27 April 2022 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Crew Dragon | {{Success|{{time interval|2022-04-27 07:52|2022-10-14 20:55|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}} | {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Kjell Lindgren|{{Flag icon|United States}} Bob Hines|{{Flag icon|Italy}} Samantha Cristoforetti|{{Flag icon|United States}} Jessica Watkins |
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-5|{{Nobold|Expedition 68}}}}
| Falcon 9 Block 5
(B1077.1)
| Crew Dragon
(C210.2 Endurance)
| {{Success|{{time interval|5 October 2022 16:01|12 March 2023 02:02|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Nicole Aunapu Mann|{{Flag icon|United States}} Josh Cassada|{{Flag icon|Japan}} Koichi Wakata|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Anna Kikina{{Cite web |title=Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 10.06.2022 № 1532-р ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов ∙ Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации |url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202206100047 |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=publication.pravo.gov.ru}}}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-6|{{Nobold|Expedition 68/69}}}}
| Falcon 9 Block 5
(B1078.1)
| Crew Dragon
(C206.4 Endeavour)
| {{Success|{{time interval|2 March 2023 05:34:14|4 September 2023 04:17|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Stephen Bowen|{{Flag icon|United States}} Warren Hoburg| {{flagicon|UAE}} Sultan Al Neyadi|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Andrey Fedyaev{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/15/tech/spacex-russia-nasa-ride-share-agreement-scn/index.html |title=SpaceX rockets to fly Russian cosmonauts with new NASA deal |last1=Wattles |first1=Jackie|last2=Pavlova|first2=Uliana |date=July 15, 2022 |website=CNN.com |publisher=CNN |access-date=July 16, 2022 |quote=Andrei Fedyaev will fly on another SpaceX mission in the spring of 2023, according to NASA.}}}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-7|{{Nobold|Expedition 69/70}}}}
| Falcon 9 Block 5
(B1081.1)
| Crew Dragon
(C210.3 Endurance)
| {{Success|{{time interval|26 August 2023 07:27|12 March 2024 09:47|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Jasmin Moghbeli|{{Flag icon|Denmark}} Andreas Mogensen| {{Flagicon|JAP}} Satoshi Furukawa |{{Flag icon|Russia}} Konstantin Borisov{{cite web | url=https://tass.com/science/1497285 | title=Medics find Russian cosmonauts fit for flying on Crew Dragon to ISS }}}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-8|{{Nobold|Expedition 70/71/72}}}}
| 4 March 2024
| Falcon 9 Block 5
(B1083.1)
| Crew Dragon
(C206.5 Endeavour)
| {{Success|{{time interval|4 March 2024 03:53|25 October 2024 07:29|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Matthew Dominick|{{Flag icon|United States}} Michael Barratt|{{Flag icon|United States}} Jeanette Epps|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Alexander Grebenkin}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-9|{{Nobold|Expedition 72}}}}
| File:Updated SpaceX Crew-9 Patch.png
| 28 September 2024{{cite web |last=Niles-Carnes |first=Elyna |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-9/2024/08/06/nasa-adjusts-crew-9-launch-date-for-operational-flexibility/ |title=NASA Adjusts Crew-9 Launch Date for Operational Flexibility |work=NASA |date=6 August 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024}}
| Falcon 9 Block 5
(B1085.2)
| Crew Dragon
(C212.4 Freedom)
| {{Success|{{time interval|28 September 2024 17:17|18 March 2025 21:57|show=dhm|abbr=on|sep=,}}}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Nick Hague|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Aleksandr Gorbunov|{{Flagicon|USA}} Barry E. Wilmore (landing)|{{Flagicon|USA}} Sunita Williams (landing)}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-10|{{Nobold|Expedition 72/73}}}}
| File:SpaceX Crew-10 logo.png
| Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1090.2)
| Crew Dragon
(C210.4 Endurance)
| {{Operational|Docked at ISS}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Anne McClain|{{Flag icon|United States}} Nichole Ayers|{{Flag icon|Japan}} Takuya Onishi|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Kirill Peskov}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-11|{{Nobold|Expedition 73/74}}}}
| File:SpaceX Crew-11 logo.png
| Falcon 9 Block 5
| Crew Dragon
(C206.6 Endeavour)
| {{Planned}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Zena Cardman|{{Flag icon|United States}} Michael Fincke|{{Flag icon|Japan}} Kimiya Yui|{{Flagicon|RUS}} Oleg Platonov}}
|-
! {{Unbulleted list|SpaceX Crew-12|{{Nobold|Expedition 74/75}}}}
|
| NET February 2026
| Falcon 9 Block 5
| Crew Dragon
| {{Planned}}
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Flag icon|United States}} Jack Hathaway|{{Flag icon|United States}} Jessica Meir|{{Flagicon|FRA}} Sophie Adenot|{{Flagicon|RUS}} Oleg Artemyev}}
|-
|}
{{Notelist|group=missionstable}}
==Timeline==
The CCP spacecraft missions usually overlap with brief intervals during which two are docked at the same time. Crew-2 did not overlap with Crew-3 because of an unexpected delay of the Crew-3 launch.
{{#tag:timeline|
Define $lastday ={{#if: {{#expr: {{#time:d}}>28}} |{{#time:d}}|28}}
Define $endofmonth ={{#time:m}}/$lastday/{{#time:Y}}
Define $now ={{#time:m}}/{{#time:d}}/{{#time:Y}}
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:40
PlotArea = top:10 bottom:40 right:160 left:0
AlignBars = late
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:11/01/2020 till:$endofmonth
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2021
ScaleMinor = unit:month increment:1 start:11/01/2020
Colors =
id:bg value:white
id:docked value:rgb(0.894,0.882,0.871)
id:undocked value:limegreen
id:Crew_Dragon value:skyblue legend: Crew_Dragon
id:Starliner value:coral legend: Starliner
Legend = columns:2 left:100 top:25 columnwidth:100
PlotData=
width:18 align:center fontsize:12 shift:(0,-5)
bar:Q4
from:11/17/2020 till:05/02/2021 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-1
from:11/11/2021 till:05/05/2022 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-3
from:10/06/2022 till:03/11/2023 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-5
from:08/27/2023 till:03/12/2024 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-7
from:09/28/2024 till:03/18/2025 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-9
bar:Q2
from:04/24/2021 till:11/08/2021 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-2
from:04/27/2022 till:10/14/2022 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-4
from:03/02/2023 till:09/03/2023 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-6
from:03/03/2024 till:10/25/2024 color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-8
from:03/14/2025 till:$now color:Crew_Dragon text:Crew-10
LineData=
layer:front
at:11/17/2020 width:0.1 color:docked
at:05/02/2021 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:04/24/2021 width:0.1 color:docked
at:11/08/2021 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:11/11/2021 width:0.1 color:docked
at:05/05/2022 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:04/27/2022 width:0.1 color:docked
at:10/14/2022 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:10/06/2022 width:0.1 color:docked
at:03/11/2023 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:03/02/2023 width:0.1 color:docked
at:09/03/2023 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:08/27/2023 width:0.1 color:docked
at:03/11/2024 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:03/05/2024 width:0.1 color:docked
at:10/25/2024 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:09/29/2024 width:0.1 color:docked
at:03/18/2025 width:0.1 color:undocked
at:03/16/2025 width:0.1 color:docked
}}
See also
{{Portal|Spaceflight|United States}}
References
Sources
{{Refbegin}}
- {{Cite web|last=Reichhardt|first=Tony|title=Astronauts, Your Ride's Here!|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/space/space-series-starliner-and-spacex-dragon-180969499/|website=Air & Space/Smithsonian|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821145027/https://www.airspacemag.com/space/space-series-starliner-and-spacex-dragon-180969499/|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=August 2018|url-status=live}}
- {{Cite web|last1=Howell|first1=Elizabeth|title=How Boeing's Commercial CST-100 Starliner Spacecraft Works|url=https://www.space.com/41360-how-boeing-starliner-commercial-spacecraft-works.html|website=Space.com|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526020338/https://www.space.com/41360-how-boeing-starliner-commercial-spacecraft-works.html|archive-date=26 May 2020|date=8 August 2018|url-status=live}}
- {{Cite web|last=Wall|first=Mike|title=Crew Dragon and Starliner: A Look at the Upcoming Astronaut Taxis|url=https://www.space.com/41367-commercial-crew-spacecraft-starliner-dragon.html|website=Space.com|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821180355/https://www.space.com/41367-commercial-crew-spacecraft-starliner-dragon.html|archive-date=21 August 2019|date=3 August 2018|url-status=live}}
{{Refend}}
Citations
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Notes
{{notelist-lr}}
External links
{{Commons category|Commercial Crew Program}}
- [https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html Commercial Crew Program] at NASA (Archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20190301213100/https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html 1 March 2019], [https://web.archive.org/web/20200525141150/https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html 25 May 2020])
- [https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/wp-content/uploads/sites/230/2015/03/Boeing-CCtCap-Contract.pdf CCtCap contract] between Boeing and NASA
- [https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/wp-content/uploads/sites/230/2015/03/SpaceX-CCtCap-Contract.pdf CCtCap contract] between SpaceX and NASA
{{US human spaceflight programs}}
{{Crewed ISS flights}}
Category:Human spaceflight programs
Category:International Space Station