NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) is a public-private partnership that funded development of crew transportation systems to low Earth orbit. SpaceX's Crew Dragon has been the program's primary success, regularly ferrying NASA astronauts and international partners to the ISS since its first operational mission in November 2020. Boeing's Starliner has faced significant development delays but conducted its first crewed flight test in 2024.
The commercial crew model, based on Space Act Agreements and fixed-price contracts, achieved crewed orbital capability at a fraction of the cost of traditional government programs. NASA estimates the approach saved $20-30 billion compared to a conventional development program. The model has since been replicated in CLPS for lunar delivery and in the CLD program for next-generation space stations, establishing a template for NASA's commercial-first approach to space operations.