After canceling their lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force, SpaceX chose to appear in public with flight company Boeing to announce new space travel plans.
At a press briefing on Monday, the two companies revealed their plans to help move astronauts too and from the International Space Station by 2017.
The the two companies were selected by NASA to work together and build a manned spacecraft for the upcoming Commercial Crew Program. However, neither company has a lot of time to work on this.
Engadget noted that a key function for the upcoming tests is the pad abort test, which is designed to make sure that astronauts can escape from a shuttle if things go wrong. Boeing intends to run pad abort tests by February 2017, complete a flight test by that April and run a full mission with a test pilot and NASA astronaut by that July.
SpaceX hopes to run tests even sooner and expects to begin them sometime this year.
If all goes well, expect to see humans in space again in 2017. NASA has not sent a live human being into space since 2011. If it ends up working out, NASA will send SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon crew capsule and Boeing's CST-100 capsule into space using a Delta V rocket.
This project has the potential to increase the number of astronauts on the International Space Station from 6 to 7, adding 80 hours of research a week to the station.
NASA Administrator Charlie Borden said at the briefing that the project was "an incredible testament to American ingenuity and know-how."
He added that the project is "part of a vital strategy to equip our nation with the technologies for the future and inspire a new generation of explorers to take the next giant leap for America."
