SpaceX sees growing demand for private Crew Dragon missions – Spaceflight Now - Spaceflight Now

With the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew mission back on Earth, SpaceX’s director of human spaceflight programs says the company is seeing increased interest in more private astronauts flights to orbit, and may expand its fleet of reusable Dragon spaceships to accommodate the growing demand.

SpaceX has four more Crew Dragon missions to the International Space Station under contract with NASA, plus four private crew missions to the station for Axiom Space, a Houston-based company with ambitions to build a commercial research outpost in low Earth orbit that could replace the ISS.

There’s also a contract with the space tourism company Space Adventures for a standalone Crew Dragon flight that will not go to the International Space Station, a solo mission similar to the Inspiration4 flight that ended Saturday with a successful splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX also has a contract with NASA for resupply missions to the space station using the company’s fleet of Cargo Dragon capsules, which are based on the crew-rated spaceship, but fly without seats or launch escape rockets.

The Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is currently docked at the International Space Station on its second trip to orbit, and is due to return to Earth with its four-person team of NASA, European, and Japanese astronauts in November.

The Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft flew to the station on a six-month mission that returned to Earth in May, and then carried the Inspiration4 crew into orbit and back on their three-day flight.

SpaceX has built a new Crew Dragon capsule for the next launch of NASA astronauts to the space station, scheduled for Oct.

The Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft is set to launch again in February with the first Axiom crew mission to the space station.

He said there’s “tons of interest” from the private sector and wealthy individuals to fly to space on Crew Dragon missions.

NASA is also widely expected to extend SpaceX’s commercial crew contract for additional government-sponsored Crew Dragon flights to the space station.

But SpaceX’s near-term business prospects for private crew missions appear strong, Reed said.

Crew Dragon seats sell for about $55 million, according to NASA, which also charges private spaceflight operators for commercial astronauts for space station training and use of space station equipment.

NASA’s inspector general says a seat on a Crew Dragon spacecraft for a six-month expedition to the International Space Station costs the agency more than $50 million.