Boeing and SpaceX awarded space taxi contract

[dragon]

Boeing, Space X land NASA contracts
By Ben Rooney @ben_rooney September 16, 2014: 6:24 PM ET
Boeing, SpaceX win private space race
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
Boeing and SpaceX have been awarded contracts to become NASA's space taxis, shuttling astronauts to and from the International Space Station, the agency announced Tuesday.

NASA ended its Space Shuttle program in 2011 after a review and amid a shift in priorities to exploring deep space, including sending humans to Mars.

Since the shuttle program was retired, NASA crewmembers have been hitching rides on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a cost of $70 million per seat, according to a NASA spokeswoman. The agency typically purchases six seats per year.

The contracts are worth a total of $6.8 billion. Boeing's share is $4.2 billion and SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion.

Both companies' crafts must undergo safety testing before manned flights take place. Once certified for flight, each company will launch between two and six missions, NASA said.

link

[dragon]

didn't see the other thread. please close