NASA Awards SpaceX Up to $946 Million for Three Additional ISS Crew Missions

NASA has expanded its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract with SpaceX, ordering an additional three crewed Dragon flights to the International Space Station in an award valued at up to $946 million, according to a report by CNBC Business (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/spacex-scores-950-million-from-nasa-for-3-more-crewed-flights-to-iss-.html).

The contract modification extends SpaceX's crew transport commitment through 2030 and lifts its total operational missions under the program to 17 flights. In a statement on Friday, NASA said the expanded award helps ensure continuous American crew access to the orbiting station across two commercial providers.

Under the terms of the agreement, SpaceX will handle ground, launch, orbital, and return and recovery operations, as well as cargo transport and emergency lifeboat capabilities while docked at the space station.

With the latest award, SpaceX will have secured $5.92 billion from NASA under the Commercial Crew contract. Public sector awards from NASA and the Department of Defense remain central to the company's launch revenue following its record-setting initial public offering in June.

SpaceX and NASA are preparing to launch the Crew 13 mission in October, followed by Crew 14 in the spring of 2027. The additional flights come as SpaceX reportedly prepares to wind down the Dragon program—which began carrying human crews six years ago—as it shifts future operational focus toward its Starship launch vehicle, which remains in active development.

NASA's second commercial crew partner, Boeing, continues to work toward operational readiness with its Starliner capsule. Starliner is slated for an uncrewed test flight in the coming months, with crewed operational missions targeted to begin in the third quarter of 2027.