Back To News/PR Index
|

|
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Congratulates
Recipients of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Contracts
|
NASA Selects The Boeing Company and SpaceX to Launch Astronauts
to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center
|

The announcement is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which identifies private sector companies to provide safe, cost-effective and reliable access through U.S. space transportation systems to and from the ISS and low Earth orbit. In this public-private partnership, industry partners are responsible for developing the spaceflight system, which it owns and operates. NASA certifies the systems for safety and reliability for NASA astronauts. The system becomes the “taxi ride” to low-Earth orbit, and NASA buys a ticket to use the service to transport astronauts.

“We congratulate The Boeing Company and SpaceX on being named by NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center,” said Therrin Protze, Visitor Complex chief operating officer. “Manned launches will offer Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests the opportunity to witness history in the making as astronauts begin their journey to the ISS from the Space Coast.”

“This is a very exciting time for space exploration with manned launches from Kennedy Space Center scheduled for as early as 2017,” said Jon McBride, space shuttle astronaut. “The Boeing Company and SpaceX will make it possible for the United States to transport our own astronauts to space once again.”

The Boeing Company (www.boeing.com/boeing) is developing the CST-100 spacecraft in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF-3) at Kennedy Space Center. The CST-100 will launch with United Launch Alliance’s (www.ulalaunch.com) Atlas V rocket.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) (www.spacex.com) continues to advance the Dragon V2 spacecraft, a more advanced version of the cargo-carrying spacecraft used to transport supplies to the ISS. SpaceX will launch Dragon V2 aboard their Falcon 9 rocket.

This second phase of the Commercial Crew Program certification process includes at least one crewed flight test per awardee. Once a test flight with astronauts is completed successfully, validating that all systems perform as required to safely reach the ISS and return home, NASA will award certification. From there, the commercial company provides from two to six crewed missions to the ISS, ending the U.S. reliance on foreign providers of ISS transportation.
|

About Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts
Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts is an industry leader, providing Stewardship and Hospitality in Special Places (SM) with hotel, retail, food service, recreation and transportation operations at historic and scenic properties in North America and Australia. The company operates Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida; in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Olympic (Kalaloch Lodge), Shenandoah and Yosemite national parks, including The Ahwahnee and other Yosemite lodges; The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio; Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa in British Columbia; Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Niagara Falls State Park. The company also owns and operates Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite; the Park Gate Lodges at Yellowstone, which are the West Yellowstone Holiday Inn, Gray Wolf Inn and Suites and Yellowstone Park Hotel, as well as the new Explorer Cabins, all in West Yellowstone, Mont.; and five luxury resorts in Australia: Lizard Island Resort, Heron Island Resort, Wilson Island Resort, Kings Canyon Resort and El Questro Homestead and Wilderness Park. To learn more about Delaware North Companies’ hospitality management expertise, visit www.DelawareNorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.

About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the largest and most admired privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded and owned for nearly 100 years by the Jacobs family, it is a global leader in hospitality and food service. Its family of companies includes the newly acquired Patina Restaurant Group, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden.

Through these companies, Delaware North manages and provides food and beverage concessions, premium dining, entertainment, lodging, and retail at many large venues and special places. These include high-profile venues ranging from sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, national parks, airports, and some of the top regional casinos in the country.

Delaware North Companies has revenue exceeding $3 billion annually and 60,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

Contacts: 
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Andrea Farmer
321-449-4318
Angelica Deluccia-Morrisey
321-449-4273

|