SpaceX is fast establishing itself as the space company to beat. The Elon Musk-led company has been awarded five additional missions to the International Space Station, according to a release by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has obtained a favorable court decision for its Starlink deployment plan.
This brings the number of missions awarded to SpaceX to 14. It will allow NASA to maintain uninterrupted access to the ISS until 2030.
The total value of the new contract is $1.44 billion. It covers “ground, launch, in-orbit, and return and recovery operations, cargo transportation for each mission, and a lifeboat capability while docked to the International Space Station.” In total, SpaceX has been awarded launch contracts worth $4.93 billion.
SpaceX got certified by NASA for crew launches in 2020. The company has been launching up to four astronauts at a time and critical cargo using its Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of Falcon 9 rockets.
SpaceX is aiming for up to 100 launches for the 2023 calendar year. It has so far launched the Falcon 9 39 times this year.
