Boeing, SpaceX win contracts to carry Americans into space

Aerospace rivals SpaceX and Boeing on Tuesday received multi-billion-dollar contracts in a move that effectively ends America’s dependence on Russia for launching people into space.

{mosads}NASA announced the shift on Tuesday, unveiling the total $6.8 billion in deals with the companies to develop and certify vehicles that can shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station by the end of 2017.

Boeing’s contract is valued at $4.2 billion, while SpaceX is receiving $2.6 billion.

“From day one, the Obama administration has made it clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on other nations to get into space,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

“NASA has set the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of human space flight,” he said.

NASA has been paying $70 million per trip to shuttle people to the space station on Russian Soyuz capsules — the only option, since America discontinued its outdated fleet in 2011.

But lawmakers have pushed for America to end its dependence on Russia for space travel in light of the country’s aggression in Ukraine.

Boeing said on Tuesday that its development process is already on track to meet the goal of sending Americans into space by the deadline.

“Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program, and we’re honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy,” said John Elbon, Boeing’s vice president and general manager, space exploration, in a release.

Its vehicle, the CST-100, will be able to hold up to seven passengers, “or a mix of crew and cargo,” the company said.

“The CST-100 offers NASA the most cost-effective, safe and innovative solution to U.S.-based access to low-Earth orbit,” Elbon said.

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, said in a statement that the contract is “a vital step in a journey that will ultimately take us to the stars and make humanity a multi-planet species.”

“SpaceX is deeply honored by the trust NASA has placed in us,” he said. “We welcome today’s decision and the mission it advances with gratitude and seriousness of purpose.”

That company already has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to bring cargo and supplies to the International Space Station, and will beef up its Dragon-model spacecraft to have the ability to carry people. It, like Boeing’s, has a seven-person capacity.

SpaceX and Boeing represent the new and old guards, respectively, in the competitive world of space travel — one with an entrepreneur at the helm in Musk, and the other a legacy company that has been around for decades.