SpaceX is getting an extension to an existing contract that will allow three additional crewed Dragon flights to the International Space Station.SpaceX is getting an extension to an existing contract that will allow three additional crewed Dragon flights to the International Space Station.
The award for flight support brings SpaceX’s total missions under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to 17 operational flights, the space agency said in a statement on Friday, and “helps NASA to maintain access to the space station with two unique commercial crew industry partners.”
SpaceX will provide “ground, launch, in-orbit, and return and recovery operations, cargo transportation for each mission, and a lifeboat capability while docked to the International Space Station,” NASA said.
SpaceX went public in June in the largest IPO on record. The company counts on government contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense to bolster its core launch business. Under this contract with NASA, SpaceX will have earned $5.92 billion from the space agency.
NASA’s Crew 13 launch with SpaceX is expected in October, and Crew 14 is looking to fly next spring. Beyond its NASA flights, SpaceX is reportedly winding down its Dragon program, which began flying humans just six years ago. The company aims to use its Starship rocket, which is still in development, for most future launches.