NASA's 2026 contract modification with SpaceX increases the company's total crewed missions to the ISS to 17, supporting regular crew rotation through 2030. The contract includes launch, in-orbit, return, recovery operations, cargo transport, and lifeboat capability while docked, with mission readiness dates planned for 2027 and 2028.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket continue to transport up to four astronauts along with critical cargo. NASA certified SpaceX for crew transportation in 2020, and the ongoing partnership maintains two commercial providers for ISS access, though additional contracts remain possible in the future.
Source & further reading
NASA Awards SpaceX Three Crew Flights to Space Station ↗Source published 2026-09-18. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.