US Orders 12 More Cargo Missions To Space Station From Northrop Grumman, SpaceX - NASA

The United States has ordered Northrop Grumman and SpaceX to fly an additional 12 cargo missions - six each - to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA announced in an official blog statement on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2022) The United States has ordered Northrop Grumman and SpaceX to fly an additional 12 cargo missions - six each - to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA announced in an official blog statement on Friday.

"NASA has ordered 12 additional missions under its Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contracts to ensure continuous science and cargo delivery for the agency and its international partners to the ISS," the statement said. "(The) missions ordered - six each to Northrop Grumman and SpaceX - will provide resupply services to the station through 2026."

In 2016, NASA awarded three US companies with CRS-2 contracts to resupply the ISS so crew members can continue to conduct science research and technology development that benefits people on Earth and supports human missions to the Moon and Mars.

"With this action, a total of 32 missions have been ordered by the agency for cargo resupply missions under the CRS-2 contracts with 14 missions to Northrop Grumman, three missions to Sierra Nevada Corporation (now Sierra Space), and 15 missions to SpaceX," the statement said.

The maximum potential value of all contracts is $14 billion, according to the statement.