NASA Taps SpaceX, Rocketplane Kistler for Space Cargo Demonstration

An artist's concept of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle and Dragon crew and cargo capsules. CREDIT: NASA

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of El Segundo, Calif., and Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City, Okla., to share $500 million the U.S. space agency intends to spend through 2010 to simulate development of new cargo delivery services to the International Space Station.

NASA made the awards under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration program.

SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler beat out four other finalists for the awards: Andrews Space of Seattle, Spacehab of Houston, SpaceDev of Poway Calif., and Transformational Space Corp. of Reston, Va.

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