Commercial Space Transportation

Human Space Exploration Update (July 10-28, 2017)

Commercial Crew Progress: NASA and companies express growing confidence in commercial crew schedules The latest scheduling from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and its contract partners Boeing and SpaceX shows both companies conducting uncrewed and crewed test flights in 2018. If the planning holds, the U.S. would be launching astronauts into orbit for the first time since NASA’s final space shuttle mission in 2011. Boeing’s CST-100 and SpaceX’s crewed Dragon are to transport four astronauts.

Dream Chaser:  Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser on the move in California  Sierra Nevada’s future commercial cargo carrier to the International Space Station, the Dream Chaser, is undergoing runway evaluations at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The winged reusable re-supply vehicle is designed to launch from Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V and land on a runway. A test flight in which Dream Chaser is released from an airborne helicopter for an automated approach and landing on the runway is anticipated later this year.

Citizens for Space Exploration – a pro-space, taxpayer, grassroots advocacy group (http://www.bayareahouston.com/content/c_s_e/c_s_e) – has traveled to Washington, D.C. the past 24 years to meet face-to-face with Members/staff of Congress to discuss the value of America’s investment in space exploration. In order to sustain that dialogue on a regular basis, Citizens distributes “Space Exploration Update” to Congressional offices on a weekly basis. The intent is to provide an easy, quick way to stay abreast of key human space exploration program and policy developments.