SpaceX Wins 6 More NASA Crew Missions as Boeing Stays Grounded

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — NASA filed a procurement notice in May 2026 announcing its intent to add six post-certification missions to SpaceX's existing Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract — an expansion driven directly by Boeing's ongoing failure to certify its Starliner spacecraft for crewed flights.

What the Contract Expansion Means

NASA intends to order up to three of the new missions immediately upon adding them to the contract, with the remaining three available as needed through the end of the International Space Station's planned operations in 2030. The agency cited recently shortened ISS mission durations, Boeing's technical issues and schedule delays, and the need to maintain reliable crew transportation capability as the driving factors.

Based on the 2022 precedent of approximately $287 million per mission, the new block of six missions could represent close to $1.7 billion in additional contract value. NASA's Commercial Crew contract with SpaceX began in 2014 at $2.6 billion. A 2022 modification added five missions — Crew-10 through Crew-14 — worth $1.436 billion, bringing the total at that point to $4.9 billion. This latest expansion adds substantially to that figure.

Boeing's Persistent Setbacks

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner has still not been certified for crewed flights, and the vehicle was not included on NASA's most recent mission manifest. The certification delays stem from a series of technical issues that have repeatedly pushed back timelines, leaving NASA with limited options for crew rotation to the ISS. With Boeing effectively sidelined, SpaceX's Dragon capsule is the only American vehicle capable of safely transporting astronauts to the station.

Where the Mission Cadence Stands

Crew-12 is currently docked at the station and Crew-13 is assigned with a mid-September 2026 launch target. NASA's filing makes clear that SpaceX will continue to carry the full burden of ISS crew rotations for the near term, with no indication of when an alternative provider might step in.

SpaceX's Expanding Federal Role

The crew contract expansion is one part of a much larger picture for SpaceX. The company is simultaneously preparing Starship as NASA's Artemis lunar lander, completing its first Starship V3 test flight, and pursuing a public market debut that could value the combined company at up to $1.75 trillion.

With SpaceX now absorbing more ISS crew rotation work on top of its commercial and lunar programs, its role as the primary contractor for American human spaceflight has effectively become NASA policy rather than circumstance.