Contract Modification Grants Crew-7, 8, and 9 to California Company

NASA has awarded another trio of missions to SpaceX for more of their crew transportation services to the ISS, reaffirming the use of the company for 6 more Crew missions in all.  

The modification to their previous Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract reaffirms the agency's reliance upon SpaceX and serves as a stamp of approval on their work so far. Now, the company will launch a total of 9 missions, 3 more than initially expected at the outset of the CCtCap program as SpaceX takes up the slack of its competition. The contract comes in at an eye-watering $3,490,872,904 for the fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity agreement.

NASA carefully notes however that the sole source modification does not preclude them from looking for additional contract mods in the future for additional transportation services. 

SpaceX has increasingly become the go-to for NASA's Crew missions as the primary competitor, the Boeing Starliner, has suffered delays and issues in taking flight. Since its first mission in November 2020, SpaceX has undertaken 2 crew rotation missions using its proprietary Crew Dragon spacecraft, with another currently in progress. In NASA service, each voyage carries 4 astronauts and additional cargo needed for continued experimentation and living aboard the ISS, replenishing stocks, removing garbage, and updating projects. With the path open for additional changes to the contract, it should be expected that the flight schedule will be subject to more changes over time, especially with tensions over joint efforts of the American and Russian space programs under scrutiny. 

FMI: www.nasa.gov