Boeing and SpaceX secure healthy NASA funding

by Steven Mostyn - Apr 19 2011, 05:36

With the stalwart shuttle fleet heading for retirement this coming summer, U.S. space administration NASA has already begun doling out the cash to develop future space-faring technology.

Specifically, four privately held U.S. companies have each taken a share of $269.3 million USD as NASA forges forward with its search for cutting-edge rockets and spacecraft capable of returning astronauts to the stars.

The most notable funding winners emerged as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, ($75 million USD) and aerospace titan Boeing Co ($92.3 million), the latter of which is in the process of developing a seven-man rocket capsule that should be launch-ready by 2015.

The two other awards were handed to Sierra Nevada Corp. ($80 million USD), and Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($22 million USD).

“We’re committed to safely transporting U.S. astronauts on American-made spacecraft and ending the outsourcing of this work to foreign governments,” commented NASA administrator Charles Bolden in a statement.

However, in the interim, NASA will be forced to continue inserting its astronauts into Russian-made Soyuz vehicles in order to service and man the International Space Station (ISS)—with each trip reportedly costing the administration $63 million USD.

NASA’s funding drive comes only a few days after it revealed that its three remaining space shuttle orbiters are to be relocated as tourist attractions at some of the nation’s leading air and space museums.

The Kennedy Space Center will house Atlantis, while the California Space Center will play host to Endeavour and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in New York will display Discovery.

The final scheduled shuttle mission will see Atlantis blast towards the ISS on June 28. The entire fleet’s decommission will follow soon thereafter at the end of August.

According to NASA, a total of 22 companies challenged for a funding allocation, with the monetary awards distributed as part of the Commercial Crew Development program.

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