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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk, right, speak to press in front of the Crew Dragon that is preparing for the Demo-2 mission.
NASA / Aubrey Gemignani
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine believes the billions his agency has invested in Elon Musk’s SpaceX have been worthwhile as the company prepares to launch astronauts for the first time this month.
“The investments that we have made in SpaceX and the investment that SpaceX has made in itself have really resulted in something that I think will be very beneficial, not only for human space exploration, but also for the economy,” Bridenstine said during a conference call. of press on Friday.
NASA has awarded SpaceX several contracts over the past two decades, ranging from the development of new spacecraft to the transportation of cargo to the International Space Station. Under the Commercial Crew program, NASA awarded SpaceX more than $ 3.1 billion to finance the development of its Crew Dragon capsule. Boeing also received more than $ 4.8 billion of investment from NASA to develop a competitive spacecraft called Starliner.
However, while SpaceX will launch NASA astronauts on its spacecraft on May 27, Boeing’s Starliner is a year behind in development after major software issues during a test flight. The Commercial Crew program is NASA’s replacement for the space shuttle, which was retired in 2011. Although the program is about two years behind schedule in meeting its original goals, Bridenstine said she believes it has been generally profitable.
“Commercial Crew will demonstrate cost savings compared to the space shuttle … We are very pleased with the level of investment we have made and what we are getting for that investment,” said Bridenstine.
The two spacecraft developed for the commercial crew will take a ride to NASA for their astronauts to reach the International Space Station. For the past decade, NASA has paid Russia to fly astronauts to the ISS.
“We need to have the ability to access space, not just for NASA, but for all of humanity,” Bridenstine said.
Musk has previously said that SpaceX has spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” of its own cash on developing the spacecraft. When specifically asked how much Friday, President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell deferred.
“SpaceX invests heavily in our products, but I honestly can’t tell you what the investment has been in Dragon 2. Not because I don’t want to. I don’t know what the number is,” Shotwell said.
He added that SpaceX “has worked closely with NASA since 2006,” since flying people into space is at the core of the company’s mission.
“All that work is culminating in this historic event that we have here in a few weeks,” Shotwell said.
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