The National Space Society (NSS) congratulates Elon Musk and the entire SpaceX team on another successful and historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This mission, known as Commercial Resupply Services-1 (CRS-1), is the second successful berthing of Dragon at the ISS, but the first time it has done so as part of a series of regular, contracted supply missions.

“SpaceX continues its march to space by achieving yet another historic milestone,” said NSS Executive Director Paul E. Damphousse. “This mission is proving a number of things, not the least of which is the fact that the Space X Falcon/Dragon architecture forms a highly robust system capable of mission success, notwithstanding the challenges faced by all space launches.”

Damphousse added, “The Commercial Cargo and Crew programs have the important near-term goal of providing services to the ISS. But in a more permanent sense, they are also integral parts of NASA’s ongoing efforts to develop systems and a space infrastructure that will make future programs more affordable, more capable, and more exciting, while enabling NASA to push on to the next frontier beyond low-Earth orbit.”

This second safe launching of Falcon and berthing of Dragon emphasizes yet again the practicality and economy of commercial cargo and crew programs, an important step on our path toward becoming a spacefaring civilization. NSS strongly believes and advocates that commercial space transportation is crucial to achieving the Society’s vision of “people living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and using the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.”

While we are very excited about SpaceX’s recent successes, NSS maintains that there is still much to be done in order for missions such as CRS-1 to become routine. The Society will continue to call on our nation’s leaders to support NASA, as well as SpaceX’s and other commercial companies’ goals to expand our permanent presence in space.

In the meantime, we look forward to the successful conclusion of CRS-1, which will further demonstrate that the commercial sector is moving forward and that the commercial space marketplace is officially open for business.