14 DAY TRIAL // The commercial crew program being fostered by the American space agency is bound to get an extension on February 7. NASA has just announced plans to solicit new proposals for the development of spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to low-Earth orbit.
This call for proposals is meant to attract more private companies to the emerging field of private spaceflight. NASA will work towards helping these companies develop their designs, and will receive special prices for delivering its own astronauts to orbit in return.
This is the third round of the Commercial Crew Integrated Design Contract, which was recently renamed the “Commercial Crew integrated Capability” program. In February, NASA will also award at least two Space Act Agreements (SSA) that will include financial support for the winners.
Both contracts will last through 2014, and will foster competition among private companies for developing the cheapest, most reliable spacecraft design. However, the agency is keen on reminding prospective winners that funding availability will continue to remain an issue.
NASA's budget has been constantly diminishing over the past few years, especially since the economic crisis began affecting the United States severely. The downward trend is likely to continue, so any funding options will depend on how much money the agency itself gets.
At this point, the agency has SSA with four companies, under the guises of the CCDev2 contract. The value of those agreements is about $300 million per year, depending on yearly budgets. Of those companies, California-based SpaceX and Virginia-based OSC are the farthest down the road.
Since the end of the Space Shuttle Program, the United States has lost its ability to send its own astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is currently relying on contracts it has signed with the Russian Federal Space Agency for access to space.
RosCosmos supplies NASA with seats on its Soyuz capsules for a huge cost. The US cannot remain hooked to the Russians for a very long time, hence the country's drive to develop alternative means of getting to space.
“NASA intends to select a portfolio of multiple [commercial crew concepts] that best meet the [program's] goals within the available funding,” the new NASA announcement reads, as quoted by Space News.