NASA has awarded three new cargo contracts to private companies.

Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX will provide commercial resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS) from 2019 through 2024.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spacecraft. (Image courtesy of Orbital ATK.)

“By engaging American companies for cargo transportation, we can focus our attention on using this one-of-a-kind laboratory in the sky to continue advancing scientific knowledge for the benefit of all humanity,” said Kirk Shireman, ISS Program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

CRS-2 Contracts

Referred to as Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2), these contracts guarantee at least six cargo resupply missions from each provider in addition to funding ISS integration, flight support equipment and special tasks and studies.

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spacecraft. (Image courtesy of Sierra Nevada Corporation.)

Commercial carriers have already transported 35,000 pounds of space cargo to the ISS under previous contracts, which were stated in terms of metric tonnage rather than number of missions.

The total value of the contracts is estimated at $14 billion, depending on NASA’s mission orders.

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft. (Image courtesy of NASA.)

“The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract enables us to adjust as necessary for additional missions or contingencies so we can provide the greatest benefits possible from this great international asset,” said Shireman.

First Missions Starting in 2019

Engineering assessments will soon begin to make preparations for the first missions in 2019. NASA has stated that these missions will advance ISS research while creating more American jobs.

More than 200 people from 15 countries have visited the microgravity laboratory which has hosted more than 1,700 research investigations from researchers in 83 countries.

For more information on the space station and its crew members, visit the ISS website.