Going Commercial

Young Astronomers Blog, Volume 28, Number 12.

In 1958, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was formed. NASA is a civilian agency responsible for overseeing the United States space program. Commercial companies have played a significate role in the design, development, and manufacture of the hardware and software required to put U.S. spacecraft into space. Unmanned spaceflight, in many cases, have been managed by third parties such as JPL and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, although these entities are tied to universities and not commercial companies. Manned spaceflight from the beginning in 1961 through 2011 was managed directly by NASA.

In 2005, NASA decided to “go commercial.”  They established the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to partner with private companies. In 2008, NASA selected two companies, SpaceX and Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman), to fly resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Dragon first reached the ISS in October 2012, followed by an Orbital AKT Cygnus in January 2014. The two companies have been resupplying the space station ever since.

In July 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis flew the last shuttle mission to the International Space Station. On it were American astronauts Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus, and Rex Walheim. These were the last U.S. astronauts to launch from American soil. Since this last shuttle flight, to send U.S. astronauts to the space, NASA has had to purchase seats on Russian Soyuz spacecraft priced at millions of dollars per seat.

This is about to change. In 2010, NASA began its Commercial Crew Program designed to help companies develop the technology to send astronauts to low Earth orbit including the space station. Initially five companies were in the running. Round two began in 2011, reducing the list to four companies. In 2012, round three narrowed the list to three: Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SpaceX. In 2014, SpaceX and Boeing were chosen as finalist and engaged in a certification process with NASA.

Over the past few years, both companies have developed the capability, including building the hardware, required for human spaceflight. SpaceX has its Dragon Crewed Craft, which will launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Boeing has the Starliner, which will launch from an Atlas V rocket built by United Launch Alliance (a joint venture by Lockheed Martin and Boeing).

In 2019, NASA announced the first class of astronauts for the commercial flights. Nine astronauts were chosen, four assigned to SpaceX and five to Boeing.

SpaceX has successfully completed its unmanned Demo-1 test flight, a pad abort test, and an in-flight abort test. It is poised to launch the first crewed Demo-2 flight now schedule for May 27, 2020. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are assigned to the flight.

Boeing attempted its unmanned Demo-1 test flight in December 2019. However, problems prevented the spacecraft from reaching the ISS. There are plans to repeat this unmanned flight in the near future. As such, the date for their first Cygnus crewed Demo-2 flight is uncertain. Astronauts Chris Ferguson, Mike Fincke (replaced Eric Boe), and Nicole Mann are assigned to this flight.

In addition to the Commercial Crew program, there are other companies developing capabilities to fly tourists into space and NASA is continuing to develop its Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for deep space travel.

If things go well, mark May 27, 2020 on your calendar! This could be the first time U.S. astronauts have launched from U.S. soil since 2011. Follow the launch activities on NASA TV.

Selected Sources and Further Reading

“A brief History of NASA.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://history.nasa.gov/factsheet.htm

“Commercial Crew Program, Press Kit.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html

“Commercial Space Economy.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/index.html

“Commercial Resupply.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/index.html

“Commercial Crew Program.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html

“Commercial Crew Program Blogs.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/

“Commercial Crew Transportation.” NASA. (accessed May 10, 2020). https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fs-2017-02-198-ksc_ccp_olia_fact_sheet_web.pdf

“The WIRED Guide to Commercial Human Space Flight.” Wired. January 31, 2019. https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-commercial-space-flight/

“NASA Announces Crew for First Commercial Space Flights.” NPR. August 3, 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/635344671/nasa-announces-crew-for-first-commercial-space-flights

“NASA and SpaceX prepare to #LaunchAmerica.” NASA/YouTube. May 9, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EgRrAK8_HQ

Alyse Stanley. “America’s First Crewed Space Launch in Nearly a Decade Set for May 27.” Gizmodo. April 17, 2020. https://gizmodo.com/americas-first-manned-space-launch-in-nearly-a-decade-s-1842929142