NASA has awarded SpaceX three additional crew missions to the International Space Station under an expanded contract worth $5.92 billion. The contract modification adds Crew-15, Crew-16 and Crew-17 to SpaceX’s existing NASA programme.
The additional missions are intended to maintain regular crew transportation to the space station. The modification brings the total number of NASA astronaut flights contracted with SpaceX to 17. The three new missions extend the company’s current arrangement through 2030.
The latest agreement adds $946 million to SpaceX’s existing contract. Under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability programme, SpaceX is responsible for the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 launch vehicle used for the missions.
The company also handles astronaut training, spacecraft preparation, mission operations and recovery of the crew capsule. Crew Dragon remains capable of serving as an emergency escape vehicle while docked at the International Space Station.
NASA began its Commercial Crew programme with SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to develop privately operated systems for transporting astronauts to low-Earth orbit following the retirement of the Space Shuttle. SpaceX received NASA certification for regular crewed flights in 2020.
The agency continues to work with both SpaceX and Boeing as part of its commercial crew programme. Boeing’s Starliner has faced delays following its 2024 crewed test flight, during which technical issues led NASA astronauts to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
