NASA will turn to a local firm to get supplies to the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences Corp. has won a $1.9 billion contract to fly unmanned re-supply missions to the space station starting in 2011. David Thompson, Orbital’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in the announcement that Orbital’s cargo re-supply missions will allow NASA to spend more of its time and resources on manned spaceflight and deep space exploration.

California-based SpaceX will also assume the duties of keeping the U.S. space program going, according to NASA. SpaceX will be receiving $1.6 billion for 12 flights starting in 2010, and Orbital Science will be getting $1.9 billion for eight flights starting in 2011. While SpaceX has earned 12 missions, Orbital has eight other missions. The 3.5 billion dollars worth of the award equates to Orbital, which won 54 percent of the funding.

"These commercial carriers will carry about 40 to 70 percent of our cargo to (the) space station," NASA's associate administrator for space flight, Bill Gerstenmaier, told reporters on a conference call.

The pair beat a team dominated by Alliant Techsystems Inc., one of NASA's largest and longest-serving contractors. Alliant will serve as a subcontractor to the Orbital team. Orbital Sciences would get up to $1.9 billion for eight flights, starting in 2011.

SpaceX would get up to $1.6 billion for 12 flights starting in 2010. But NASA said it left its contract open to bring in another company in case either of the winning contractors stumbles. NASA estimates that it will wind up spending a total of $3.5bn on the two Commercial Re-supply Services deals, with the proportion of cash going to each company depending on how well that company's programme goes.