According to the U.S. government officials and aerospace experts said, Boeing could beat two smaller-scale competitors, won the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (hereinafter referred to as “NASA”) transporting astronauts orders. Won this order, Boeing will become a victory in the competition with SpaceX obtained during. The space taxi contract worth is $3 million and more flexible way, won the favor of many organizations. The decision to develop a “space taxi” will also become a major milestone in the commercial aerospace sector.
Government officials said the Obama administration recently released signal display, NASA leadership has come to the preliminary conclusion: Boeing space capsule program presented less risk, most likely within three years of the American astronauts into the International Space Station. But the official also warned that, NASA director Charles Borden may change the decision at the last moment.
But multi experts agree that Boeing could become the big winner of this plan. The purpose of the program is to replace the retired space shuttle in 2011. If Boeing can win this order, it will establish its leadership position in the field of manned spaceflight America’s future.
In addition to Boeing, the other two bidding companies are SpaceX and Sierra Nevada, where a company is expected to alternative suppliers of identity, get a smaller share of partial orders. Experts believe that, SpaceX odds in this competition for the relatively large.
NASA is currently relying on a Russian rocket and space capsule to transport American astronauts, the price of this service had risen to about $ 70 million per person. With the continuous fermentation of the Ukrainian crisis, the cooperation may also be affected.
A NASA spokesman declined to comment, but said, “We are expected to announce the final message in September.” Successful enterprises in the sector plan and signed a fixed price contract, the deadline to the end of 2017, will contain at least one manned docking with the space station test. Some industry experts predict that a contract may also contain an additional flight plan.
SpaceX spokesman also declined to comment on the company’s chances of winning, but also added that the company’s Falcon 9 rocket during the execution of the main task, the realization of a 100% success rate. In addition, SpaceX for manned space missions developed hardware is also more than any competitor.
Sierra Nevada has not yet responded. The company is the only one planned by a winged aircraft descend to the ground directly runway bidding companies.
Due to lower prices SpaceX, technology updates, and NASA are expected to change the traditional model, and therefore to be optimistic about the outside world. But informed sources said that as the experience of cooperation between Boeing and NASA richer, and before can be completed on time and within budget targets, and therefore more favored by NASA. And SpaceX is not fully meeting all the key requirements of NASA.
The potential value of this contract is not yet determined, depending on the specific tasks to be included in the number of contracts. NASA annual budget is currently in self-development aspects of manned spacecraft close to $ 700 million, over the next 10 years could spend billions of dollars in ongoing space transportation tasks.
Boeing and NASA’s cooperation can be traced back 40 years ago, the company had served as NASA’s space station prime contractor for NASA to develop deep space rocket in the process also played a major role. “They understand the customers, but also to understand what the customers want to hear.” A former NASA official said.
Many engineers and scientists at NASA also favor Boeing. Boeing planned to use the old Atlas V rocket in the 1990s will be personnel into orbit space. Boeing officials have repeatedly stressed that, if no further government support, they will terminate the development has been going on for three years CST-100 manned space capsule.
SpaceX supporters stressed that the privately held company is only a few short years, it has developed two rockets, three kinds of engines and space capsule, and have a manned space key security feature. The company founder and CEO Elon Musk · (Elon Musk) and other executives have said, how to determine whether NASA, and they will continue to develop Dragon space capsule.