KSC-2014-3924

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Astronaut Mike Fincke, a former commander of the International Space Station, speaks during the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability CCtCap contract announcement ceremony. Speaking from Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site, Fincke detailed the importance of the development effort by the agency's Commercial Crew Program for station crew members, United States space exploration ambitions and the economic potential of creating new markets in space transportation for people. Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts to complete the design of the CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively, and begin manufacturing for flight tests with a goal of achieving certification to take astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017. CCtCap also covers the beginning of operational missions for these new spacecraft and their systems. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann