BrandWikiReturn

Commercial Resupply Services

Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft.[1]

The first phase of CRS contracts (CRS-1) were signed in 2008 and awarded $1.6 billion to SpaceX for twelve Dragon 1 and $1.9 billion to Orbital Sciences for eight Cygnus flights, covering deliveries to 2016. The first operational resupply missions were flown by SpaceX in 2012 (CRS SpX-1)[2] and Orbital in 2014 (CRS Orb-1).[3] In 2015, NASA extended CRS-1 to twenty flights for SpaceX and twelve flights for Orbital ATK.[4][5]

A second phase of contracts (CRS-2) was solicited in 2014. CRS-2 contracts were awarded in January 2016 to Orbital ATK's continued use of Cygnus, Sierra Nevada Corporation's new Dream Chaser, and SpaceX's new Dragon 2, for cargo transport flights beginning in 2019 and expected to last through 2024.

COTS demo flights

NASA has been directed to pursue commercial spaceflight options since at least 1984, with the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 and Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990. By the 2000s funding was authorized for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, followed by the Commercial Crew Development program. The Antares and Falcon 9 launch vehicles and Cygnus and Dragon cargo spacecraft were developed using Space Act Agreements under the COTS program.[6]

The first flight contracted by NASA, COTS Demo Flight 1, took place on December 8, 2010, demonstrating a Dragon capsule's ability to remain in orbit, receive and respond to ground commands, and communicate with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. On August 15, 2011, SpaceX announced that NASA had combined the objectives of the COTS Demo Flight 2 and following Flight 3 into a single mission.[7][8] The rescoped COTS Demo Flight 2 successfully launched on May 22, 2012, delivering cargo to the ISS. The spacecraft reentered on May 31, landed in the Pacific Ocean, and was recovered, completing CRS certification requirements.[9][10]

Orbital Sciences first launched the Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on April 21, 2013, with a test payload.[11] Orbital Sciences completed the Cygnus Orb-D1 demonstration flight on September 29, 2013, and the operational Cygnus CRS Orb-1 was launched January 9, 2014.[12][13][14][15]

CRS-1 selection process

On December 23, 2008, NASA announced the initial awarding of cargo contracts - twelve flights to SpaceX and eight flights to Orbital Sciences Corporation.[16] PlanetSpace, which was not selected, submitted a protest to the Government Accountability Office.[17] On April 22, 2009, the GAO publicly released its decision to deny the protest, allowing the program to continue.[18]

CRS-1 flights

Transport flights began under Commercial Resupply Services phase 1 (CRS-1) in 2012:

Cargo Dragon flights

  • CRS SpX-1: October 8, 2012[2][19]
  • CRS SpX-2: March 1, 2013[20]
  • CRS SpX-3: April 18, 2014[20]
  • CRS SpX-4: September 21, 2014.[20]
  • CRS SpX-5: January 10, 2015[21]
  • CRS SpX-6: April 14, 2015
  • CRS SpX-7: attempted on June 28, 2015. Launch failure 139 seconds after lift-off, IDA-1 destroyed. Investigation traced the accident to the failure of a strut inside the second stage's liquid-oxygen tank. NASA concluded that the most probable cause of the strut failure was a design error: instead of using a stainless-steel eye bolt made of aerospace-grade material, SpaceX chose an industrial-grade material without adequate screening and testing and overlooked the recommended safety margin.[22]
  • CRS SpX-8: April 8, 2016
  • CRS SpX-9: July 18, 2016
  • CRS SpX-10: February 19, 2017
  • CRS SpX-11: June 3, 2017
  • CRS SpX-12: August 14, 2017
  • CRS SpX-13: December 15, 2017[23]
  • CRS SpX-14: April 2, 2018
  • CRS SpX-15: June 29, 2018[24]
  • CRS SpX-16: December 5, 2018[25][26][27]
  • CRS SpX-17: May 4, 2019
  • CRS SpX-18: July 25, 2019
  • CRS SpX-19: December 5, 2019
  • CRS SpX-20: March 7, 2020

Cygnus flights

Following the failure, the Antares rocket was upgraded to the 230 series which used newly built RD-181 first-stage engines to provide greater payload performance and increased reliability. The next two spacecraft were launched on the Atlas V. With the switch to more powerful launch vehicles and the introduction of a larger Enhanced Cygnus, enabled Orbital ATK to cover their initial CRS contracted payload obligation by OA-7.

During August 2015, Orbital ATK disclosed that they had received an extension of the resupply program for four extra missions. These flights enable NASA to cover ISS resupply needs until CRS-2 begins.

  • CRS Orb-1: January 9, 2014
  • CRS Orb-2: July 13, 2014
  • CRS Orb-3: October 28, 2014 - launch failure, food and care packages for the crew, parts, experiments, and the Arkyd-3 Flight Test (Non-optical) Satellite from Planetary Resources lost.
  • CRS OA-4: December 6, 2015 - Atlas V, first Enhanced Cygnus
  • CRS OA-6: March 23, 2016 - Atlas V
  • CRS OA-5: October 17, 2016 - Antares 230
  • CRS OA-7: April 18, 2017 - Atlas V
  • CRS OA-8E: November 12, 2017
  • CRS OA-9E: May 21, 2018[28][29]
  • CRS NG-10: November 17, 2018[30]
  • CRS NG-11: April 17, 2019[31][32]

CRS-2 selection process

NASA began a formal process to initiate Phase 2 of the Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-2, in early 2014.[33] Later that year, an "Industry Day" was held in Houston, with seven high-level requirements disclosed to interested parties.[34]

Requirements

The contracts were expected to include a variety of requirements:[34]

  • delivery of approximately 14000 to 17000 kg per year 55 to 70 m3 of pressurized cargo in four or five transport trips
  • delivery of 24–30 powered lockers per year, requiring continuous power of up to 120 watts at 28 volts, cooling, and two-way communications
  • delivery of approximately 1500 to 4000 kg per year of unpressurized cargo, consisting of 3 to 8 items, each item requiring continuous power of up to 250 watts at 28 volts, cooling, and two-way communications
  • return/disposal of approximately 14000 to 17000 kg per year 55 to 70 m3 of pressurized cargo
  • disposal of 1500 to 4000 kg per year of unpressurized cargo, consisting of 3 to 8 items
  • various ground support services

Proposals

CRS-1 contractors Orbital Sciences and SpaceX each submitted CRS-2 proposals, joined by Sierra Nevada, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.[35]

SNC's proposal would use a cargo version of its Dream Chaser crew vehicle, the 'Dream Chaser Cargo System'. The proposed cargo Dream Chaser included an additional expendable cargo module for uplift and trash disposal. Downmass would only be provided via the Dream Chaser spaceplane itself.[35] Boeing's proposal likewise used a cargo version of its CST-100 crew vehicle.[36][37]

Lockheed Martin proposed a new cargo spacecraft called Jupiter, derived from the designs of the NASA's MAVEN and Juno spacecraft. It would have included a robotic arm based on Canadarm technology and a 4.4 m diameter cargo transport module called Exoliner based on the Automated Transfer Vehicle, to be jointly developed with Thales Alenia Space.[37][38][39]

Awards

When NASA issued the Commercial Resupply Services phase 2 (CRS-2) request for proposal (RFP) in September 2014, it received interest from five companies: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX. NASA made a competitive range determination to remove Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Three companies were awarded contracts on January 14, 2016.[40][34] Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser, the SpaceX Dragon 2, and Orbital ATK Cygnus were selected, each for a minimum of six launches.[40][41] The maximum potential value of all the contracts was indicated to be $14 billion, but the minimum value is considerably less. CRS-2 launches commenced in 2019 and will extend to at least 2024. NASA officials explained that selecting three companies rather than two for CRS-2 increases cargo capabilities and ensures more redundancy in the event of a contractor failure or schedule delay.

Three more CRS-2 missions for Dragon 2 covering up to CRS-29 were announced in December 2020,[42][43] and six more were awarded in 2022 covering up to CRS-35.[44] The contracts were then extended to 2030.[45]

Northrop Grumman having purchased Orbital ATK were awarded 2 more Cygnus flights in 2020 and 6 more in 2022 covering up to NG-35 which will provide resupply services to the station through 2026.[44] The contracts were then extended to 2030.

The CRS-2 flights commenced in November 2019 with the launch of Cygnus NG-12 mission.[46]

Inside-cargo is typically transported to and from the space station in "the form factor of single Cargo Transfer Bag Equivalent (CTBE) [which is the] unit for size of bag used to transport cargo from visiting vehicles, such as SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus, or JAXA H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). The bags are sized at 19 x and limited in transport mass to 60 lb each.[47] CTBE units are also used to price, and charge, commercial users of US Orbital Segment stowage space.[48]

CRS-2 flights

Cygnus flights

As a result Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Northrop Grumman was left with only two remaining Antares 230+ launch vehicles which were used for the CRS NG-18 and CRS NG-19 missions. Northrop Grumman acquired four flights from SpaceX with the Falcon 9 rocket while a replacement first stage and its engine are developed for its Antares 330 rocket.[49][50]

Northrop Grumman plans to launch further missions using the new Antares 300 series (Antares 330) rockets with booster stage and engines developed by Firefly Aerospace.[49][53]

  • CRS NG-12: November 2, 2019
  • CRS NG-13: February 15, 2020
  • CRS NG-14: October 3, 2020
  • CRS NG-15: February 20, 2021
  • CRS NG-16: August 10, 2021
  • CRS NG-17: February 19, 2022
  • CRS NG-18: November 7, 2022
  • CRS NG-19: August 2, 2023
  • CRS NG-20: January 30, 2024 - Falcon 9
  • CRS NG-21: August 4, 2024 - Falcon 9
  • CRS NG-22: TBD (indefinitely delayed after cargo module damaged during shipment)[51]
  • CRS NG-23: September 14, 2025 - Falcon 9, first Cygnus XL
  • CRS NG-24: April 8, 2026 - Falcon 9[52]
  • CRS NG-25: 2026 (planned)[52]

Cargo Dragon flights

  • CRS SpX-21: December 6, 2020
  • CRS SpX-22: June 3, 2021
  • CRS SpX-23: August 29, 2021
  • CRS SpX-24: December 21, 2021
  • CRS SpX-25: July 15, 2022
  • CRS SpX-26: November 26, 2022
  • CRS SpX-27: March 14, 2023
  • CRS SpX-28: June 5, 2023
  • CRS SpX-29: November 10, 2023
  • CRS SpX-30: March 21, 2024
  • CRS SpX-31: November 5, 2024
  • CRS SpX-32: April 21, 2025
  • CRS SpX-33: August 24, 2025[54]
  • CRS SpX-34: Early 2026 (planned)[52]
  • CRS SpX-35: Late 2026 (planned)[52]

Cargo Dream Chaser flights

  • SSC Demo-1: late 2026 (planned)

See also

  • Cargo spacecraft
  • Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) – development of crew vehicles
  • Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
  • Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
  • Dream Chaser
  • Cygnus (spacecraft)
  • Crew Dragon
  • Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (STS cargo container)
  • Commercial Lunar Payload Services

External links

References

  1. Jason Rhian. NASA continues Commercial "push" with CRS extension Spaceflight Insider, September 27, 2014^
  2. SpaceX, NASA Target Oct. 7 Launch For Resupply Mission To Space Station NASA, September 20, 2012, retrieved September 26, 2012^
  3. Tariq Malik. Orbital's Cygnus Delivers Gifts, Ants To Station in First Commercial Run spacenews.com, January 20, 2014, retrieved September 3, 2022^
  4. Chris Bergin. NASA lines up four additional CRS missions for Dragon and Cygnus NASASpaceFlight.com, retrieved April 19, 2015^
  5. Peter B. de Selding. SpaceX wins 5 new space station cargo missions in NASA contract estimated at $700 million SpaceNews, February 24, 2016, retrieved July 17, 2016^
  6. NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services NASA, retrieved October 15, 2012^
  7. SpaceX 2011 Update Page SpaceX, December 15, 2011, retrieved December 3, 2011^
  8. SpaceX plans November test flight to space station AFP, August 15, 2011, retrieved December 3, 2011^
  9. Stephen Clark. NASA expects quick start to SpaceX cargo contract SpaceFlightNow, June 2, 2012, retrieved June 23, 2012^
  10. NASA Administrator Announces New Commercial Crew And Cargo Milestones NASA, August 23, 2012, retrieved August 23, 2012^
  11. Trent J. Perrotto. NASA Partner Orbital Sciences Test Launches Antares Rocket NASA, April 21, 2013, retrieved April 25, 2013^
  12. SpaceX wins 5 new space station cargo missions in NASA contract estimated at $700 million - SpaceNews.com February 24, 2016^
  13. Cygnus docks with International Space Station gizmag.com, September 29, 2013, retrieved October 1, 2013^
  14. Antares home page Orbital Sciences, October 2012, retrieved October 13, 2012^
  15. Antares press release Orbital Sciences, October 2012, retrieved October 13, 2012^
  16. "NASA Awards Space Station Commercial Resupply Services Contracts". NASA, December 23, 2008.^
  17. Chris Bergin. Planetspace officially protest NASA's CRS selection January 15, 2009^
  18. B-401016; B-401016.2, PlanetSpace, Inc., April 22, 2009 GAO, April 22, 2009, retrieved October 7, 2012^
  19. NASA Celebrates Dragon's Return retrieved October 30, 2012^
  20. Stephen Clark. Launch Log (2012-2014) Spaceflight Now, retrieved July 7, 2021^
  21. CRS-5 Dragon successfully launched – Core ASDS landing attempted NASASpaceFlight, January 10, 2015, retrieved January 15, 2015^
  22. NASA Independent Review Team SpaceX CRS-7 Accident Investigation Report Public Summary NASA, March 12, 2018, retrieved March 23, 2018^
  23. SpaceX launches and lands its first used rocket for NASA The Verge, December 15, 2017, retrieved December 15, 2017^
  24. Chris Gebhardt. SpaceX CRS-15 Dragon arrives at ISS with science/crew supply payloads NASASpaceFlight.com, July 2, 2018, retrieved August 9, 2018^
  25. Dragon Attached to Station, Returns to Earth in January – Space Station blogs.nasa.gov, retrieved December 8, 2018^
  26. Falcon 9 successfully lofts CRS-16 Dragon enroute to ISS – Booster spins out but soft lands in water – NASASpaceFlight.com December 5, 2018, retrieved December 6, 2018^
  27. Loren Grush. For the first time ever, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fails to stick a ground landing The Verge, December 5, 2018, retrieved December 6, 2018^
  28. Antares • Cygnus OA-9 retrieved December 8, 2018^
  29. Cygnus OA-9E delivers the science, won't be used as experiment module this flight – NASASpaceFlight.com May 28, 2018, retrieved December 8, 2018^
  30. Stephen Clark. Live coverage: Commercial Cygnus cargo craft arrives at space station – Spaceflight Now retrieved December 8, 2018^
  31. Jeff Fourst. Antares launches Cygnus on ISS cargo mission SpaceNews, April 17, 2019, retrieved April 18, 2019^
  32. Chris Gebhardt. NG-11 Cygnus, S.S. Roger Chaffee, brings the science to ISS NASA Spaceflight, April 19, 2019, retrieved May 4, 2019^
  33. COMMERCIAL RESUPPLY SERVICES 2 – RFI NNJ14ZBG007L NASA, February 21, 2014, retrieved February 24, 2014^
  34. International Space Station Commercial Resupply Services 2 Industry Day ppt file, NASA, April 10, 2014, retrieved April 12, 2014^
  35. Jeff Foust. Sierra Nevada Hopes Dream Chaser Finds "Sweet Spot" of ISS Cargo Competition Space News, March 17, 2015^
  36. Dan Leone. Weather Sat, CRS-2 Top U.S. Civil Space Procurement Agenda for 2015 SpaceNews.com, January 24, 2015^
  37. Jeff Foust. Lockheed Martin Pitches Reusable Tug for Space Station Resupply Space News, March 13, 2015^
  38. Greg Avery. Lockheed Martin proposes building ISS cargo ship for NASA Denver Business Journal, March 12, 2015, retrieved March 13, 2015^
  39. 'Jupiter' Space Tug Could Deliver Cargo To The Moon, March 12, 2015, retrieved March 13, 2015.^
  40. Sierra Nevada Corp. joins SpaceX and Orbital ATK in winning NASA resupply contracts Washington Post, January 14, 2016, retrieved January 17, 2016^
  41. NASA Awards International Space Station Cargo Transport Contracts NASA, January 14, 2016, retrieved August 24, 2017^
  42. Gunter Krebs. Dragon CRS-21,... CRS-29 (SpX 21,... 29) Gunter's Space Page, April 19, 2021, retrieved May 3, 2021^
  43. SMSR Integrated Master Schedule Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, NASA, June 7, 2021, retrieved June 14, 2021^
  44. NASA Orders Additional Cargo Flights to Space Station March 25, 2022^
  45. SpaceX, Sierra Nevada, Northrop Grumman Receive ISS Cargo Contract Extensions November 12, 2024^
  46. Audit of the Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Station NASA Office of Inspector General, April 26, 2018, retrieved February 18, 2020^
  47. Commercial and Marketing Pricing Policy nasa.gov, March 5, 2021, retrieved March 5, 2021^
  48. Commercial and Marketing Pricing Policy nasa.gov, June 7, 2019^
  49. Northrop taps rocket startup Firefly to replace Antares' Russian engines Reuters, August 8, 2022^
  50. at 27:37 and 32:40 NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Mission - Prelaunch Media Teleconference NASA^
  51. Eric Berger. After a spacecraft was damaged en route to launch, NASA says it won’t launch Ars Technica, March 26, 2025, retrieved March 27, 2025^
  52. NASA Orders Additional Cargo Flights to Space Station NASA, March 25, 2022, retrieved March 25, 2022^
  53. Northrop Grumman Teams with Firefly Aerospace to Develop Antares Rocket Upgrade and New Medium Launch Vehicle Northrop Grumman Newsroom, August 8, 2022, retrieved August 21, 2022^
  54. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Splashdown News Conference March 18, 2025, retrieved March 18, 2025^
  55. Chris. Orbital ATK make progress toward Return To Flight of Antares rocket NASASpaceflight.com, August 14, 2015, retrieved August 14, 2015^
  56. Dan Leone. NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK SpaceNews.com, August 17, 2015, retrieved August 17, 2015^
  57. Dan Leone. NASA Considering More Cargo Orders from Orbital ATK, SpaceX SpaceNews.com, August 20, 2015, retrieved August 20, 2015^
  58. Jeff Foust. First Dream Chaser mission slips to 2022 Space.com, November 18, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2021^