Boeing and SpaceX both getting NASA money for manned space launches

Dragon in orbit above sub-Saharan Africa

NASA

Today, NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced that there were two winners in the campaign to become the first company to launch astronauts to low-Earth orbit:  Boeing and SpaceX. The two will receive contracts that total $6.8 billion dollars to have hardware ready for a 2017 certification.

Ending a reliance on Russia to get to the Space station was noted as a key driver of this effort, but several speakers at the press conference mentioned that the ultimate goal was Mars. Accordingly, NASA will continue to develop the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and the Orion crew capsule for exploration beyond Earth orbit.

The press conference for this announcement is ongoing, and we will be updating this report as details are available.