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For more than 50 years, NASA has overcome
the physics that bind us to Earth, lifting

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people off the planet to explore low-Earth
orbit, then safely returning them home.

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Today, astronauts live and work around the
clock aboard the orbiting laboratory of the

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International Space Station, where NASA is
gaining the knowledge it needs to send humans

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to an asteroid, and then to Mars.

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As the agency sets its sights on exploration
destinations farther into the solar system

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than ever before, a new era of commercial
space is emerging in low-Earth orbit.

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With the Commercial Crew Program, NASA's stepping
back from directing the detailed development

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and operations of human space systems and
letting our industry partners develop detailed

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new solutions to spaceflight while we ensure
safety and performance requirements and offer

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guidance and expertise.

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Once these capabilities are matured, NASA
could contract for transportation services

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to launch U.S. astronauts on American-made
spacecraft to the space station once again

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from U.S. soil.

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NASA wants to contract the safest flight into
low Earth orbit, but the agency doesn't necessarily

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need to own the spacecraft.

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After four years, the Commercial Crew Program
is seeing tremendous progress from the American

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companies it has partnered with.

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Designs that were limited to the drawing board
and artist concepts have turned into full-size

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models that are deep into testing.

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Astronauts already practice launch and landings
in simulators to iron out fine details in

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critical software.

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Technicians and engineers regularly leave
their desks behind to jump in a pool to evaluate

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their plans to recover astronauts and spacecraft
following a water landing.

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Some of the most powerful thrusters envisioned
for a spacecraft are undergoing test after

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test to prove the design will work.

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Wind tunnels across America are hosting heavily
instrumented versions of rockets and spacecraft

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to prove they are safe and reliable for our
astronauts to fly aboard.

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Although some of the spacecraft are familiar
shapes and others appear radical in design,

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this is the first time NASA's explored the
development of multiple spacecraft at the

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same time that are each designed to take astronauts
into orbit.

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NASA's vast launch and spaceflight experience
goes into each of these spacecraft, along

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with cutting-edge innovations from our industry
partners.

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Commercial Crew Program's progress so far
is the result of our diligent and relentless

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efforts to reshape the American spaceflight
program.