NASA and California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) have signed a two-year agreement to research strategies for future human spaceflight systems for exploration missions and commercial space access.

The Space Act Agreement is part of NASA’s collaboration with private industry to seek innovations in space flight that may one day lead the way in expanding the frontiers of exploration. The results may benefit both NASA’s exploration activities and assist in developing new capabilities for commercial access to space.

Through this partnership, NASA and SpaceX also may identify other technical areas of collaboration that could leverage research and development resources.