NASA Extends SpaceX Crew Contract | Birmingham News

0:00It's September 18th. This is Birmingham News today. Local news powered by AI. So, NASA just dropped some serious cash on SpaceX to the tune of $946 million. This new deal means SpaceX is going to be ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station all the way through 2030. That's on top of the existing contracts, bringing the total value to nearly $6 billion for 17 separate flights. This isn't new territory for them either. SpaceX got the green light from NASA for crew transport back in November of 2020. Their Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are the go-to for getting up to four astronauts, plus all the essential supplies up to the station. It's a pretty big deal because NASA is really leaning on SpaceX right now. They're still working on getting a second option ready with Boeing, but that program has hit some bumps. Remember that Boeing Starliner test flight earlier this year? It had issues, which meant astronauts would stuck up there for a while longer than planned.

1:02SpaceX has been the backbone of getting crews to and from the station since they were certified. This latest contract extension just solidifies their role as NASA's primary partner for crewed missions for the foreseeable future. This ensures a consistent flow of astronauts and supplies to the orbiting laboratory, keeping operations running smoothly while NASA continues to. Help and test other transportation capabilities.