By Danielle Skinner
MCGREGOR- NASA is giving SpaceX a $440 million dollars to take the next step in private space exploration.
The company with a test site in McGregor, West of Waco, won a multi-million dollar contract to send astronauts into space.
This huge sum of money will help SpaceX to develop and modify a shuttle that will safely launch American astronauts into space.
Earlier this year, SpaceX made history by sending the first privately owned space craft to the International Space Station.
The "Dragon" and "Falcon 9" space craft were created to transport cargo, but according to SpaceX spokeswoman Kirsten Grantham the air craft was always meant for astronauts. The contract will also continue to put the city of McGregor on the map.
"SpaceX rocket's development facility is in McGregor Texas. A lot of the development work we do and the testing that we do is right there in McGregor," Grantham said. "SpaceX is awfully proud of the work we do here in Texas and we are just glad to call it home."
In order to send astronauts in space safely SpaceX plans on adding several improvements to the spacecraft, they include:
1)Seats for seven astronauts
2)Advanced launch escape system
3)Effective landing system
4) Refinements and other rigorous testing
SpaceX could one day have their launch site in Texas. They hope to have their first manned flight by 2015.
