Both contractors, however, do have a fixed total of cargo mass they must deliver over the course of their current CRS contracts at a fixed price, and thus (as best we can tell) will have to cover any additional expenses involved in meeting those totals out of their own pockets.
Very nice post.
CORRECTION to “The Industry” section of this Update, first paragraph:
Alert readers have pointed out that the current round of Commercial Resupply Service contracts allow progress payments for each mission before actual launch. Payment details of SpaceX’s CRS contract ( https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/418857main_sec_nnj09ga04b.pdf ) aren’t public, but it’s reasonable to assume it’s similar to Orbital-ATK’s ( http://spacenews.com/42658orbital-sciences-entitled-to-partial-nasa-payment-for-antares-failure/ ) where the majority for each mission is paid before launch.
Both contractors, however, do have a fixed total of cargo mass they must deliver over the course of their current CRS contracts at a fixed price, and thus (as best we can tell) will have to cover any additional expenses involved in meeting those totals out of their own pockets.
While we’re at it, good news regarding today’s Progress cargo launch: All is well so far, six hours into its two-day trip to Station. ( http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/russia-launches-crucial-progress-cargo-ship-space-station-n386236 )