Commercial Crew: Progress Toward Flights
Location
Conference Center- Main Hall
Start Date
24-5-2016 10:00 AM
End Date
24-5-2016 11:30 AM
Description
Two American companies are blazing their own unique paths forward to produce certified end-to-end crew transportation systems capable of flying astronauts to and from the International Space Station by 2017. A little more than a year after being awarded contracts, launch pads along Florida’s Space Coast are taking shape, spacecraft and launch vehicle hardware is in flow and extensive testing is under way for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon systems. The companies are working carefully and diligently with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the astronauts selected to train to fly flight tests to the International Space Station to ensure the systems are meeting the agency’s certification requirements and adequately addressing all credible hazards, including pad emergencies, in-flight aborts and emergency landings.
Top Three Takeaways
- The capability to deliver crews safely to and from low-Earth orbit destinations, such as the International Space Station, is fundamentally important to a robust United States space exploration program.
- Safety is prioritized in NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. The designs must meet NASA’s safety and performance requirements, which were developed based on the agency’s 50-plus years of spaceflight experience.
- Once certified, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will be the primary means of transportation for NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, which is a fully functioning laboratory for scientific research, technology development, exploration, commerce and education.
Commercial Crew: Progress Toward Flights
Conference Center- Main Hall
Two American companies are blazing their own unique paths forward to produce certified end-to-end crew transportation systems capable of flying astronauts to and from the International Space Station by 2017. A little more than a year after being awarded contracts, launch pads along Florida’s Space Coast are taking shape, spacecraft and launch vehicle hardware is in flow and extensive testing is under way for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon systems. The companies are working carefully and diligently with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the astronauts selected to train to fly flight tests to the International Space Station to ensure the systems are meeting the agency’s certification requirements and adequately addressing all credible hazards, including pad emergencies, in-flight aborts and emergency landings.
