While the outcome of Sierra Nevada Corp.'s protest over NASA's Commercial Crew program awards will not be known until January, these two winners are accelerating preparations for the next test, development and demonstration phases of the space capsules that will transport U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in 2017. The heightened pace will be welcomed by Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which have been on a roller-coaster ride since their respective CST-100 and Dragon V2 capsules were selected by NASA over Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser lifting body design for Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts on Sept. 16. The stop-and-go began 10 days later when Sierra Nevada filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, citing "inconsistencies in the source-selection process." In response, NASA issued a stop-work order to Boeing and SpaceX on Oct. 2, halting the program in its tracks.
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