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SpaceX retiring Crew Dragon, NASA bets on Starliner
The gist
NASA awarded SpaceX $946 million for three more crewed ISS missions through 2030.
Crew Dragon is the only operational US astronaut taxi, so Starliner's delays matter.
How it unfolded
- 2010NASA's Commercial Crew program began; NASA has paid SpaceX approximately $3.1 billion and Boeing $5.1 billion for development and certification.
- Jun 2024Starliner's first crewed test flight carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS on a planned eight-day mission; helium leaks and thruster malfunctions forced the capsule to return without its crew.
- Sep 2024Starliner landed empty in New Mexico.