SpaceX Expands NASA Partnership with Additional Crewed Missions
On February 13, 2026, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched NASA’s Crew-12 mission, marking another step forward in the company’s ongoing partnership with NASA. This mission took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with crew members including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
Contract Expansion
SpaceX has recently expanded its agreement with NASA to include an additional three crewed Dragon flights to the International Space Station (ISS) through 2030. This extension could potentially earn SpaceX up to $946 million, bringing their total missions under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to 17 operational flights.
NASA emphasizes that this partnership helps ensure continual access to the ISS with the involvement of two unique commercial crew industry partners, including Boeing, which is expected to conduct its own crewed missions starting in 2027.
Operational Support
Under this contract, SpaceX will provide comprehensive support, including ground operations, launch, in-orbit, and return recovery operations, along with cargo transportation and lifeboat capabilities while docked to the ISS.
Future Developments
SpaceX’s ongoing engagements include the upcoming Crew 13 launch scheduled for October and Crew 14 slated for spring 2027. While SpaceX is reportedly winding down its Dragon program—only six years after it began flying humans—the company is pivoting towards utilizing its Starship rocket for future missions.
Financial Impact
Since going public in June, SpaceX has secured significant government contracts that bolster its core business, culminating in an estimated total of $5.92 billion earned from NASA alone.
