Boeing's Commercial Space Business

Boeing's commercial space business got a reaffirmation Tuesday when NASA announced it had chosen Boeing's Crew Space Transportation-100 and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to begin flying US astronauts to the International Space Station in 2017.bOEING GOT A 4.2 billion dollar contract;while SpaceX got a 2.6 billion dollar contract.Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program,and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy,said John Elbon,Vice President and General Manager of Space Exploration.The CST-100 offers NASA the most cost-effective,safe,innovative and proven successor to the Space Shuttle.*
Boeing hopes to take commercial passengers and other governments to space eventually as well,working with Bigelow Aerospace and Space Adventures.*
In July,Boeing completed the critical design review and Phase Two Spacecraft Safety Review for the CST-100.It is the only competitor to pass a CDR as well as all Commercial Crew Integrated Capability development phase milestones on time and on budget.Boeing is building a factory in Florida for the capsules.It is working on an initial run of three spacecraft.John Mulholland,Commercial Space Exploration Program Manager noted the upcoming certification tests on pad abort.Well over 100 parts have been delivered to Boeing,which is utilising the old shuttle hangar OPM-3 for the assembly,integration and testing of the CST-100.*
The CST-100 has a seven person maximum capacity.It is a manned spacecraft that was built from scratch,which hadn't been done in decades.Unlike the shuttle program,Boeing will be delivering a service as well as hardware.CST-100 is a complete transportation system,including the Spacecraft;Launch Vehicle;Ground Operations;Mission Operations;and Recovery.*
The interior of the CST-100 features tablet displays and multicolour LED lighting,which is already used in Boeing commercial airplanes.The capsule can be manufactured without welding,for greater structural integrity.The Atlas V rocket has been selected for initial flight tests and verification of the spacecraft.*
Boeing partner Bigelow Aerospace is developing an inflatable commercial space station,while partner Space Adventures has already brokered space flights aboard the ISS.*
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