WASHINGTON — NASA announced June 11 that it is requesting proposals for two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station that would

NASA soliciting proposals for two private astronaut missions

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2021-06-18 20:00:04

WASHINGTON — NASA announced June 11 that it is requesting proposals for two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station that would fly between the fall of 2022 and the end of 2023.

NASA said it is seeking proposals from companies who want to fly private astronauts to the space station. One mission would launch between the fall of 2022 and the middle of 2023, while the second would take place in the second half of 2023.

NASA’s low Earth orbit commercialization policy, released two years ago, allows two private astronaut missions a year to the station for short stays. NASA says that the two mission opportunities it is requesting proposals for would involve up to four astronauts each, staying at the station for no more than 14 days.

Companies seeking either of the two opportunities have to submit proposals of no more than 30 pages by July 9. Those proposals have to explain how their missions fit into NASA’s LEO commercialization strategy and provide information about who would fly and how, and the business approach for the planned mission.