Nasa Calls for “Space Taxis”

NASA is looking for at least two U.S. firms to design and build space taxis to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, program managers said on Tuesday.

NASA plans to invest $300 million to $500 million in each of the firms selected under new 21-month partnership agreements, Ed Mango, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew program, said at an industry briefing at the Kennedy Space Center prior to the release of a solicitation on Tuesday.

The new program aims to build upon previous NASA investments in companies designing commercial passenger spaceships.

Well the era of space private enterprenuer has begin. Private firms building and design space payloads and spaceships well open many doors to all the people who look their eyes to only space agencies around the globe.

Winning firms would have until May 2014 to complete their integrated designs, with the intention, if funding allows, to test fly their spaceships in orbit by the middle of the decade, Mango said.

Goals of the demonstration flight include reaching an altitude of at least 230 miles (370 kilometers), maneuvering in space and staying in orbit for at least three days, Mango said.

The test ships should be capable of carrying at least four people, he added.

Since 2010, NASA has invested a total of $365.5 million in private companies, including $130.9 million in Boeing, $125.6 million in Sierra Nevada Corp and $75 million in Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.