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NASA Extends SpaceX Crew Contract Through 2030

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 10:34 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

NASA awarded SpaceX a $946 million contract extension for three crewed ISS flights through 2030.
The extension raises SpaceX’s total Commercial Crew missions to 17.
SpaceX’s overall Commercial Crew contract value now totals $5.92 billion.
Boeing’s Starliner problems forced the crew to return on a SpaceX Dragon.
SpaceX launched Crew-12 on Feb. 13 2026 with astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev.

History

Historical Context

On 18 August 2006 NASA announced a $278 million COTS contract with SpaceX to develop the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon cargo capsule for the ISS. Successful Demo flights in 2010-2012 led NASA to award a $1.6 billion CRS contract and later fund the Commercial Crew Program, which began crewed Dragon missions in 2020. That partnership now supports the scheduled Crew-12 launch on 13 February 2026.

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Story summary

NASA awarded SpaceX a $946 million contract extension for three crewed ISS flights through 2030.
The extension raises SpaceX’s total Commercial Crew missions to 17.
SpaceX’s overall Commercial Crew contract value now totals $5.92 billion.
Boeing’s Starliner problems forced the crew to return on a SpaceX Dragon.
SpaceX launched Crew-12 on Feb. 13 2026 with astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev.

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