NASA has released the first edition of its new bi-monthy newsletter that focuses on "happenings" in the agency's commercial spaceflight development program. The first newsletter is devoted to the progress made in the commercial crew development program, which recently awarded four companies money to develop spacecraft that can carry astronauts to space. The progress made by these companies--SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation--is small. But with the space shuttle's final mission scheduled for July 8, the pressure is on for these companies to work quickly and efficiently to meet their goals.

"The space shuttle's retirement gives commercial companies more incentive to push the development of their systems," says Craig Steidle, the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "They are excited about what's coming up, but the pressure is getting financial support, to make sure we have the money to allow them to do spaceflight demonstrations."

Steidle is optimistic that the commercial companies working on human spaceflight will meet their goals, and we will see the first astronaut launch to space on a commercial spacecraft in 2017.

Here's a round up of what these companies are up to:

Boeing is developing the CST-100 spacecraft, and perhaps achieved the greatest milestone for its spacecraft thus far by completing its delta Systems Definition Review--an analysis of the design and requirements of the spacecraft and its subsystems, including structures, thermal, electrical, propulsion, life support, software and avionics. According to the company's press release,

The Delta SDR enables a common understanding of the design baseline as the team progresses toward a system-level Preliminary Design Review (PDR), which will further mature the system design and ensure it meets all requirements. Under the second round of NASA's Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement, Boeing expects to complete its System PDR no later than early spring 2012.

Boeing is preparing to gather performance data on the spacecraft's launch abort system and service module fuel tank; evaluate vehicle ascent performance in wind tunnel testing; and build on earlier landing air bag and parachute demonstrations with more in-depth investigations.

In June Boeing will present a plan for identifying and mitigating potential spaceflight safety hazards for the spacecraft.

SpaceX meanwhile is developing the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft, which are both test flight proven. With the new funding the company is focusing on the development of a launch abort system and improving the design of the crew systems. SpaceX completed its initial milestone, a kickoff meeting with NASA officials to review requirements and present design status updates. In July, the company will have to present data, documentation, and risk assessments to show that the launch abort system concept is technically sound.

Sierra Nevada Corporation is building the Dream Chaser, a reusable piloted spacecraft that will be launched on an Atlas V rocket. It also had initial kickoff meeting and Systems Requirement Review and will present test results on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of the airfoil for the Dream Chaser's tip fins.

Blue Origin's crew transportation system will be a reusable biconic space vehicle that has been launched on an Atlas V rocket and then on the company's own reusable booster system. After initial meetings the company improved the overall space vehicle design. The next step will be ground and flight tests of its pusher escape system for astronauts, and accelerating the engine design for the reusable booster system.

SpaceX engineering model of its Dragon capsule. Credit: Misha Gravenor

In a much anticipated announcement, the U.S. space agency finally awarded four commercial companies funds to develop spacecraft that can carry astronauts to space. The awards are part of NASA's commercial crew development program, initiated to utilize the private sector to reduce the gap in American human spaceflight capabilities as the space shuttles are scheduled to retire this year, and the Obama administration has canceled the agency's Constellation program.

"The next American-flagged vehicle to carry our astronauts into space is going to be a U.S. commercial provider," said Ed Mango, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, in a press release.

The four companies selected: Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which currently has a contract to carry cargo to the International Space Station, will receive $75 million to make its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule ready for humans; Sierra Nevada Corporation will receive $80 million for its space plane design; Boeing will receive $92.3 million for a capsule design; and Blue Origin will receive $22 million to develop its capsule design.

"We're committed to safely transporting U.S. astronauts on American-made spacecraft and ending the outsourcing of this work to foreign governments," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, in the press release. Until commercial spacecraft are ready the U.S. will have to rely on the Russians to carry astronauts to space at a cost of more than $50 million per seat. SpaceX's vice president of astronaut safety, Ken Bowersox, told me that the company estimates its seats at $20 million each with a crew of seven, or $140 million per mission.

"These agreements are significant milestones in NASA's plans to take advantage of American ingenuity to get to low-Earth orbit, so we can concentrate our resources on deep space exploration," said Bolden.

Artist illustration of Falcon Heavy. Credit: SpaceX

Last year, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) became the first commercial company to send a spacecraft into low Earth orbit and have it successfully reenter the Earth's atmosphere--a significant step in the commercialization of space transportation.

SpaceX hopes to carry crew and cargo to the International Space Station when the space shuttles retire this year, using it's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. Now the company is vying for more: it's building a heavy-lift rocket, a vehicle comparable to the Saturn V moon rocket, that can carry extremely large payloads to space, like a fully loaded Boeing 737 with 136 passengers.

"Falcon Heavy will carry more payload to orbit or escape velocity than any vehicle in history....this opens a new world of capability for both government and commercial space missions," said Elon Musk, the company's founder, CEO and chief rocket designer, at today's press conference in Washington, DC. Musk said the Falcon Heavy rocket first launch is planned for late 2013 or 2014.

A few fun facts about the Falcon Heavy:

• It's first stage will be made up of three nine-engine cores--the same engines, called Merlin, that are used for the Falcon 9 rocket.
  
• It will generate 3.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff--equal to 15 Boeing 747 airplanes at full power.
  
• It is designed to meet NASA human rating standards, which means designing to more stringent safety requirements.
• It will be the first rocket in history to use propellant cross-feed from the side boosters to the center core, leaving the center core with most of its propellant after the side boosters separate.
• The side booster stages will have a mass ratio above 30, better than any vehicle of any kind in history.
  
• It will carry twice the payload of a Delta IV Heavy but will cost less than a third as much--it's $1,000 per pound to orbit would set a new world record in affordable spaceflight.