Commercial Crew
International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight
The symposium is a dialog between the speakers and audience. Together we capture the growth, diversification and momentum of the commercial space industry at the time of the conference. Short powerful talks capture direction of the sectors focused…
Commercial crew delays threaten access to ISS, GAO warns
Amid growing concerns about commercial crew delays, a GAO report recommended NASA share more schedule information with Congress and develop contingency plans to maintain access to the International Space Station.
Crew Dragon completes thermal vacuum tests ahead of first test flight
The first SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft has completed a series of tests at a NASA center that may put the spacecraft one step closer to an uncrewed test flight later this year.
NASA planning revisions to commercial crew test flight schedule
With official dates for commercial crew test flights looming, NASA officials have indicated a revised schedule, taking into account the status of vehicle development as well as International Space Station activities, will soon be released.
ISS crew schedules delay need for commercial crew
New International Space Station crew assignments announced by NASA May 24 will give the agency a little additional schedule margin for getting commercial crew vehicles into service as it continues to study backup options.
Safety panel considers SpaceX “load-and-go” fueling approach viable
Members of a NASA safety panel said May 17 they believed that a SpaceX approach for fueling its Falcon 9 rockets known as “load-and-go” could be used for future commercial crew missions.
Advisory committee asks NASA to develop plans for reduced ISS crew
A NASA advisory committee, concerned about delays in the development of commercial crew systems, wants the agency to look at options where the International Space Station is operated with a reduced crew.
NASA may extend space station missions to address potential commercial crew delays
NASA is in discussions with its Russian counterparts about extending some upcoming space station missions as a way to buy more time for development of commercial crew vehicles.
NASA studies extending Boeing commercial crew test flight to support ISS
A commercial crew contract modification moves NASA one step closer to using a test flight as an operational mission to maintain a presence on the ISS.
House members question balance of NASA programs in 2019 budget proposal
Members of the House space subcommittee raised concerns about elements of NASA's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal during a March 7 hearing, from the cancellation of a space telescope to restructuring of the agency's technology programs.
Safety panel warns of “bottleneck” of reviews for exploration and commercial crew vehicles
Members of a NASA safety panel said they see good progress on the development of both exploration systems and commercial crew vehicles, but warn future progress could be hindered by a "bottleneck" of reviews they face.
NASA studying commercial crew contingency plans
NASA is beginning to study a contingency option for maintaining access to the International Space Station should commercial crew vehicle development experience delays, one that would turn test flights of those vehicles into operational missions.
GAO warns of further delays in certifying commercial crew vehicles
As the two companies developing commercial crew systems reiterated that they were on schedule to carry out test flights later this year, a government analysis of schedules concluded those vehicles may not be certified to carry NASA astronauts until late 2019 or early 2020.
Safety panel raises concerns about Falcon 9 pressure vessel for commercial crew missions
An independent safety panel recommended NASA not certify SpaceX’s commercial crew system until the agency better understands the behavior of pressure vessels linked to a Falcon 9 failure in 2016.
SpaceX delays commercial crew test flights to latter half of 2018
SpaceX has delayed its two commercial crew test flights by four months, according to a new NASA schedule released Jan. 11, raising questions about whether it or Boeing will be able to send astronauts to the International Space Station by the end of the year as previously planned.
Sierra Nevada clears Dream Chaser test milestone
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced Jan. 5 that NASA has confirmed that the company’s Dream Chaser vehicle passed a key milestone during its November free flight test.
