NASA announced three cargo contract awards to ensure robust and affordable transportation of critical supplies, scientific experiments and commercial payloads to and from the International Space Station (ISS) through at least 2024. NASA selected Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SpaceX to continue and expand upon its successful public-private partnerships with American companies to obtain reliable cargo resupply services for the ISS.

“CSF congratulates NASA, Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, and their spaceport partners, Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and Florida’s Cape Canaveral Spaceport launch and landing site, on their commitment to resupply the ISS through 2024,” said CSF President Eric Stallmer. “The ISS is a critical laboratory for scientific and technological research that will enable U.S. human space exploration beyond LEO, as well as a dynamic commercial marketplace for technology demonstrations and SmallSat deployments. These Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contracts will not only expand ISS users’ access to greater cargo capability, but also provide increased schedule certainty and mission flexibility to ensure the fullest possible utilization of the ISS’s revolutionary capabilities, while creating resupply capacity for future private sector stations in LEO as well.”

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation

The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Jane Kinney at jane@commercialspaceflight.org or at (469) 879 – 9503.