LONDON: NASA has extended development agreements with SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. past a March 31 deadline, giving the companies more time to complete delayed tests on commercial spacecraft intended to one day ferry astronauts into space.etrew
The extensions do not come with any extra funding from the space agency, which pays out money to the contractors as they complete predetermined milestones.
SpaceX now has until Dec. 31 to wrap up work under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap agreement. Sierra Nevada’s amended agreement now extends until March 31, 2016, according to documents posted on NASA’s website.
“Throughout CCiCap, we have amended our (agreements) with Boeing, SNC and SpaceX to provide a mutually beneficial partnership for NASA and industry,” said Stephanie Schierholz, a NASA spokesperson, in an email response to questions.
The agreements are carryovers from an earlier phase in NASA’s commercial crew program. Boeing, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX received funding to support the design of their human-rated spacecraft as the companies vied for firm contracts to fly astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station.
