NASA Awards SpaceX $946 Million Contract Modification for Three More Crew Missions

NASA has added three SpaceX crew missions to help maintain regular transportation to the International Space Station (ISS), bringing the company’s total number of NASA crew missions under contract to 17.

The contract modification covers SpaceX’s Crew-15, Crew-16 and Crew-17 missions under NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract. It supports NASA’s continued access to the space station through two independent commercial crew providers.

SpaceX’s Three-Mission Contract Modification

The fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification is valued at $946 million. The amount covers the three missions and related services, including:

• Ground operations
• Launch services
• In-orbit operations
• Return and recovery operations
• Cargo transportation for each mission
• Lifeboat capacity while docked at the International Space Station

The implementation period extends through 2030. With this modification, the total value of NASA’s CCtCap contract with SpaceX reaches $5.92 billion.

NASA Plans Additional Commercial Crew Missions

The award follows a notice of intent issued by government agencies in May to purchase additional missions. The current sole-source contract modification does not prevent NASA from pursuing future modifications for additional transportation services as needed.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Partnership with SpaceX and Boeing

NASA awarded the CCtCap contract to Boeing and SpaceX in 2014 through a public-private partnership under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Before astronauts can fly, NASA certifies that each provider’s space transportation system meets agency requirements.

SpaceX received NASA certification for crew transportation in November 2020. The company’s Crew-12 mission, its 12th crew rotation mission, is currently in orbit and docked at the International Space Station.

For the mission, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket will transport up to four astronauts to the space station, along with critical cargo.

Learn More About NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Office below.