SpaceX has done very well in providing Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program for NASA, which was validated in 2006 when SpaceX won the NASA COTS competition to demonstrate transporting of cargo and, optionally, crew to and from the International Space Station. Under that agreement, SpaceX will conduct the second flight of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and first flight of its Dragon spacecraft in 2009. The final flight, scheduled for 2010, will demonstrate Dragon’s ability to berth with the Space Station.
Immediately thereafter, SpaceX will begin conducting the first of 12 operational cargo flights to the Space Station, awarded under the Cargo Resupply Services contract a few months ago. The CRS contract has a minimum value of $1.6B and a maximum value of $3.1B and, as stated by NASA, its success is vital to the future of the Space Station.
However, what most people aren’t aware of is that SpaceX designed the F9/Dragon system to carry astronauts as well as cargo, and even the word “cargo” here includes biological payloads like plants and mice. F9/Dragon meets all the NASA human rating requirements, such as extra structural safety margins, multi-redundant electronics and acceptable G-loads through all phases of flight and abort. For a conceptual vision of this venture you can view the likeness in HD of this voyage at.
Dragon’s designers anticipated and provided several windows and hatches that open both inwards and outwards to ensure astronauts can exit if a pressure relief valve fails. Moreover, NASA will certify Dragon as habitable for crew even under the COTS A-C program, as it necessarily becomes an integral part of the Space Station and is occupied by astronauts when attached. To date the only significant missing element is the launch escape rocket, that carries the Dragon spacecraft to safety in the event of a launch vehicle failure, although the rocket can be developed within two years. This means F9/Dragon can be ready to transport astronauts by mid to late 2011. By that date, Falcon 9 will have flown a dozen times and Dragon will have done a round trip journey to the Space Station roughly half a dozen times with cargo, ensuring its reliability well in advance of carrying people.
The additional positive news is that what this would mean for taxpayers and high tech jobs in the United States is very significant. The current default plan expects that our country will use the Russian Soyuz at the currently negotiated price of $47 million per seat for the period between Shuttle retirement (2010) and Ares/Orion reaching Space Station (2016). Even assuming that the number of U.S. astronauts transported to the Station decreases from the current 30 per year with the Shuttle down to 14 per year, the cost will be approximately $3.3 billion, not to mention the cost in the thousands of jobs that the money could have supported back home.
Whereas the F9/Dragon would cost less than $20M per seat and it is 100 percent manufactured and launched in the United States with estimates that it would create in excess of a 1,000 high level jobs at Cape Canaveral and an equivalent number in California and Texas, where manufacturing and testing are conducted. Moreover, the total cost would only be $1.5B, so taxpayers would save nearly $2B.
NASA has already reviewed the cargo F9/Dragon and is assured with their finds to assign it the bulk of the operational transport duties following Shuttle retirement. Although more work would be needed to certify it for astronaut transport to and from the Station, SpaceX reports that such can be accomplished before the end of 2011.
COTS Capability D can be completed within two years from date of funds received, and, with a little extra money and some modifications to the plan, it can be accelerated even further, as the COTS Capability D is an existing option in an already competed contract, NASA could exercise it right away, resulting in immediate job creation. Also noteworthy, is that COTS D, like the COTS A-C funding, is a fixed price agreement and is only awarded as each milestone is achieved. If SpaceX is unable to pass the milestones, no taxpayer money is spent.
If you agree with this plan SpaceX encourages you to contact your representatives in the House and Senate, as well as Rep. Mollohan and Senator Mikulski who lead the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittees, and encourage them to fund NASA Exploration in the Stimulus Bill and provide the $300M in funding necessary to begin COTS Capability D.
