NASA Hires SpaceX Dragon for Six More Resupply Missions to ISS, Focusing on Critical Cargo Delivery

NASA is again hiring SpaceX for its next critical cargo resupply and delivery mission, hiring the Cargo Dragon for six more flights towards the International Space Station. The deliveries will focus on bringing the supplies for the astronauts that stay in the ISS, and it will not be long for that because NASA is retiring the space station soon.

NASA Hires SpaceX Dragon for ISS Resupply Missions

SpaceX Cargo Dragon ISS Departure Will Not Be Aired by NASA TV, But Will Still Provide Launch Updates
A mock up of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is displayed during a media tour of SpaceX headquarters and rocket factory on August 13, 2018 in Hawthorne, California. - SpaceX plans to use the spaceship Crew Dragon, a passenger version of the robotic Dragon cargo ship, to carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in 2019. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

SpaceX announced via Twitter that NASA is yet again hiring the company for orders on six more resupply cargo missions towards the International Space Station for its astronauts above. The company aims to provide the wings that NASA needs for the missions, bringing the requirements for the many tasks and situations from the orbiting station.

NASA's order will run until 2026, meaning that SpaceX will have four years of guaranteed work with the national space agency using their Dragon spacecraft.

The space agency ordered 12 more missions in this new contract, and six of this will be for SpaceX, while the other half will be for Northrop Grumman. The previous missions' cargo resupply missions provide information beneficial for this space company as NASA said its development is for the Moon and Mars missions.

NASA and SpaceX's Ventures

NASA and SpaceX have many ventures now, and both companies worked together for everything regarding space, focusing on their astronauts that stay in the space station. However, NASA is also partnering with SpaceX on the moon lander on the natural satellite for the Artemis mission.

The SpaceX Dragon

The SpaceX Dragon is one of the most reliable spacecraft that the company owns to bring passengers and supplies to the International Space Station, in partnership with NASA. Under the Commercial Crew program, SpaceX brings both astronauts and their needs to space, with the spacecraft mounting itself to the Falcon 9.

There are two types of Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX, and one of them is the Cargo Dragon, and the other is the Crew Dragon. The names of the spacecraft already specify the purpose or mission, focusing on the needs, research, materials, and other supplies when SpaceX uses the Cargo Dragon.

On the other hand, bringing astronauts to the space station and docking on one of its sides is what SpaceX carries out with Crew Dragon.

SpaceX is an essential company in the global space industry, and it is the only one that features numerous missions with NASA that the agency use from time to time. Dragon is always paired with the Falcon 9 rocket, and its combination brings the supplies and astronauts to the space station for all its needs under the Commercial Crew program.


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Written by Isaiah Richard

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