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NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken adapted inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
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Nearly a decade ago, NASA began granting funds to Boeing and SpaceX to build spacecraft that the agency could use to bring its astronauts to the International Space Station.
Under the Commercial Crew program, NASA has awarded SpaceX about $ 3.1 billion and Boeing about $ 4.8 billion over the past decade to develop spacecraft to replace the space shuttle. SpaceX developed its Crew Dragon capsule, which will launch astronauts for the first time later this month, while Boeing developed its Starliner capsule.
Although the program is about three years behind schedule in meeting the goals it outlined, NASA believes the Commercial Crew program has been profitable. A NASA presentation released Wednesday described how much the agency expects the Commercial Crew program to save taxpayers.
“While it’s not over yet, [Commercial Crew] It is prepared to save the Agency approximately $ 20B- $ 30B and provide two independent crew transport systems, “NASA Commercial Director for Space Flights Phil McAlister said in the report.
NASA’s savings come from its previously expected cost to develop and launch a program called Constellation, which a committee estimated in 2009 that it would cost $ 34.5 billion.
“We are very pleased with the level of investment we have made and what we are getting for that investment,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during a briefing on May 1.
SpaceX will launch NASA astronauts on its spacecraft on May 27, while Boeing’s Starliner is a year behind in development after major software issues during a test flight.
Beyond cost savings, NASA noted that agreements already exist to use the spacecraft for private astronaut flights. Earlier this year, SpaceX announced two offers for privately-paid space tourists, with an agreement to fly to the space station for Axiom Space and a free-flight round-Earth mission for Space Adventures.
“This is the type of outcome expected when we started” the Commercial Crew program, McAlister said. While the price of each of those seats “will certainly be high,” he said it is true “for all major new modes of transportation.” On that basis, NASA expects the price to drop 50-75% over time as market forces take effect. For example, NASA said a nonstop cross-country flight in 1950 would cost around $ 1,400 adjusted for inflation, but today it costs around $ 400.
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