The Dragon spacecraft did already bring cargo to the space station during its flight in May, this was considered a test flight. Now begins the official series of launches of cargoes to the station
The private space company SpaceX plans to launch the first of 12 cargo spaceships in which it won a contract with NASA to supply the International Space Station in October this year.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center that SpaceX is now allowed to transport payloads to the space station. The Dragon spacecraft did already bring cargo to the space station during its flight in May, this was considered a test flight. Now begins the official series of launches of cargoes to the station.
Bolden also announced several other commercial milestones in the commercial space program "that represent progress toward launching astronauts from US soil within five years," he said.
"We are working to open new frontiers for the commercial opportunities in space and to create employment opportunities in Florida and across the United States," said Bolden. "We intend to bring jobs that are elsewhere here to the US."
Bolden also announced that another NASA partner - Sierra Nevada Ltd. has completed the first milestone in the Crew and Cargo Integration Agreement (CCiCap). The milestone, initial work program marks the first major step in Sierra Nevada's efforts to develop a crew transport system using the Dream Chaser spacecraft it is building.
CCiCap is an initiative of NASA's commercial manned launch program and is a high priority of the Obama administration. The purpose of the CCP is to enable infrastructure for the development of manned launch capacity for the US, where the goal is to obtain cheap, reliable and safe access to and from the International Space Station and low orbits in general. When this capability matures, it is expected to be available to the government and other customers. NASA will be able to sign contracts to purchase commercial services to meet the needs of launching crew members to the space station later in the decade.
6 תגובות
"My father" of course and not "Rabbi". (unless you were authorized and did not share with us)
Rabbi: If we dwell on the tip of the final noun, you wrote "astronauts", that is, the final noun instead of the second hook. That's how the Hebrew QWERTY is...
Unfortunately, no. For complaints, please contact Paul Ryan and his stingy friends.
To my father
Are there any future plans to build a bigger space station with communication power and the like. Like the paintings we cuddled up to when we were kids???
right. Quill emission will be corrected.
Hello my father.
Your fondness for astronomy can be sensed ("which constitutes progress towards launching astronomers from US soil") but the launches will be of astronauts... (even if there are among them people with knowledge of astronomy).