SpaceX Wins NASA Cots Contract to Demonstrate Cargo Delivery to Space Station With Option for Crew Transport

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- SpaceX announced that it
 was selected by NASA to demonstrate delivery and return of cargo to the
 International Space Station. At the option of NASA, the Agreement can be
 extended to include demonstrating transport of crew to and from the
 International Space Station (ISS). If successful, NASA will have the
 ability to use the demonstrated capability to resupply the ISS after the
 2010 retirement of the Space Shuttle. The SpaceX team mates for COTS
 include ARES Corporation, MDA Federal Inc., Odyssey Space Research L.L.C.,
 Paragon Space Development Corporation, and SPACEHAB, Inc.
     As part of this Agreement, SpaceX will execute three flights of its
 Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spaceship. These will be the first
 flights of the Dragon spaceship and the fourth, fifth and sixth flights of
 the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
     The missions are scheduled to occur in the late 2008 to 2009 time
 period and will culminate in demonstrating delivery of cargo to the ISS and
 safe return of cargo to Earth. The Dragon spaceship is designed from the
 beginning to have an identical structure for both cargo and crew transport,
 allowing for a rapid transition from unmanned to manned flight as soon as
 reliability is proven.
     "By stimulating the development of commercial orbital spaceflight, the
 NASA COTS program will have the same positive effect on space travel as the
 Air Mail Act of 1925 had on the development of safe and affordable air
 transportation," said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO. "Moreover, the requirement for
 significant private investment and the fact that NASA only pays for
 objective, demonstrated milestones ensures that the American taxpayer will
 receive exceptional value for money."
     About SpaceX
     SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the
 cost and increase the reliability of both manned and unmanned space
 transportation ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of
 launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer light, medium and heavy lift
 capabilities, as well as deliver spacecraft into any inclination and
 altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit to planetary
 missions.
     The Dragon spaceship is designed to transport up to seven astronauts,
 as well as both pressurized and unpressurized cargo, to Earth orbit and
 back. Dragon's universal docking adapter allows it to interface with all
 current ISS docking/berthing systems, as well as future systems under
 development.
 
 

SOURCE SpaceX