Nasa signs first contracts with SpaceX for manned commercial spaceflight

SpaceX joins Boeing in planning first private manned launches to International Space Station, provisionally set to take place before the end of 2017

Manned commercial space flight took a giant leap forward as Nasa signed its first mission orders with California-based private spaceflight company SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

SpaceX joins Boeing, which signed a similar contract with the space agency in May, in planning for the first private manned launches to the station, provisionally scheduled to take place towards the end of 2017. But before they do, both companies will have to pass a stringent certification process for both their hardware and their astronauts, Tabatha Thomson, public affairs officer at Nasa, said.