Launch America: SpaceX, Boeing To Taxi NASA Astronauts To ISS

This week the folks at NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing presented a new program for their combined efforts to continue sending astronauts to the International Space Station. This Commercial Crew Transportation system will be operating under the title Launch America. This system is working with both SpaceX and Boeing, both private organizations, to bring the cost of sending US-based astronauts down significantly. NASA has been using the same system since 2011 to send astronauts to the ISS, one based on Russian technology, one this Launch America system will replace.

Here's how we make traveling to the International Space Station a bit more affordable for NASA. We use private companies SpaceX and Boeing, along with their much more efficiently-produced hardware and software, and we ship our astronauts to the ISS with all speed.

Above you'll see the full 1-hour presentation entitled "The Plan to Launch America" – from NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing.

With this program, according to Space.com, the current amount of cash NASA is dishing out to send astronauts to the ISS is $70 million USD. That's with the Russian Soyz spacecraft system.

With this new system, NASA has required that SpaceX and Boeing meet or go under $58 million per seat.

This system was summoned with Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contracts between NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX. The two private companies were commissioned to develop "safe and reliable crew transportation to and from the International Space Station on American spacecraft launched from the United States."