NASA Administrator Bill Nelson seems to have come around to the secret distance diligence . In an consultation with Newsweek , Nelson praise SpaceX for its progress in the spacefaring realm while knock Boeing for its much - hold up Starliner spacecraft .
“ I think the individual space industry is extremely beneficial , ” Nelson distinguish Newsweek in anarticlepublished last week . “ Just look at what SpaceX has already action . ”
Well now , this is for sure a new position from the former astronaut , who was sworn in as administrator for the space office in May 2021 . In 2010 , the then - senator and chairman of the science and space subcommitteearguedwhether the $ 6 billion funding NASA was seeking at the time for its commercial bunch taxis would be better spend on the space agency ’s gravid lift rocket .
Bill Nelson was sworn in as NASA administrator in May 2021.Photo: John Raoux (AP)
Twelve years later , NASA ’s Space Launch System roquette isstruggling to get off the launching padafter several delays and significant budget overruns . At the same time , Elon Musk ’s SpaceX is a wild success , as it nowregularlyferries astronauts to the International Space Station using its reusable Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule . On top of four successful crewed missionary station to the ISS , NASA late awardedfive extra ISS trips to SpaceXworth $ 1.4 billion . SpaceX is also currentlydeveloping a lunar lander for NASA ’s Artemis 3 charge , while the space federal agency put out the call yesterday for proposal of marriage from secret company todevelop a second lunar landerfor future charge to the Moon . “ I promised competition , so here it is , ” Nelson said earlier this year . “ contender lead to right , more reliable resultant . ”
However , NASA ’s other commercial crew better half , Boeing , has struggled to certify its CST-100 Starliner due to a quite a little of delays and expert problems . A botched uncrewed exam of the system in December 2019 led an independent NASA - Boeing review squad toissue 80 recommendationsto Boeing , in what was a scathing indictment of the project and the company itself . The reusable crew capsule recently discharge itsfirst uncrewed end - to - goal mental testing flightand Boeing is now desire to fill out a crewed demo mission in February 2023 .
“ When there was the offset of the place load and crew [ programs ] , the two serious bidders were SpaceX and Boeing , and everybody poo - pooed SpaceX and said , ‘ Oh , Boeing is a legacy fellowship , ’ ” Nelson told Newsweek . “ Well , approximate who is about to make its 6th trajectory after its first test escape with astronauts , and think who ’s still on the ground ? ”
He for certain appear to have been one of those people who “ poo - pooed ” SpaceX in the beginning , but now Nelson is seemingly jumping ship to fall in the pull ahead side and realine himself with an evolving distance industry .
More : NASA Requests Two More Private Missions to the ISS
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