CRS-2

CRS-2 or Commercial Resupply Services-2 is a series of contracts awarded by NASA to private spaceflight companies to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The contracts were awarded in the second phase of the Commercial Resupply Services program, hence the name CRS-2.

Overview

The CRS-2 contracts were awarded in 2016 to three companies: SpaceX, Orbital ATK, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. These contracts replaced the original CRS contracts, which were awarded in 2008. The CRS-2 contracts are designed to ensure the continued delivery of supplies to the ISS through 2024.

SpaceX CRS-2 Missions

SpaceX has been awarded a significant number of CRS-2 missions. The company uses its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to deliver supplies to the ISS. The Dragon spacecraft is capable of returning experiments and other items from the ISS to Earth, which is a unique capability among the current CRS-2 providers.

Orbital ATK CRS-2 Missions

Orbital ATK, now part of Northrop Grumman, uses its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft for CRS-2 missions. The Cygnus spacecraft is not capable of returning items to Earth; instead, it is filled with waste and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere at the end of its mission.

Sierra Nevada Corporation CRS-2 Missions

Sierra Nevada Corporation is the newest company to join the CRS-2 program. The company's Dream Chaser spacecraft is a reusable, lifting-body vehicle that is capable of landing on a runway. This makes it similar in some ways to the retired Space Shuttle.

See Also

• Commercial Crew Program
• Private spaceflight
• SpaceX Dragon
• Cygnus (spacecraft)
• Dream Chaser

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