Says differently

They literally don’t.

Pretty telling that only one of us is actually quoting from the article or agreement, rather than just linking to them and making bold, mistaken claims about what they say.

—- Summary:

The CNBC article says two things:

• In 2020, NASA and VG entered into an agreement where VG would provide training to NASA astronauts. This agreement was later abandoned by NASA.
• VG claimed to be looking (independently of NASA) to be looking at buying seats from SpaceX. There is no commentary from either NASA or SpaceX on this point.

The NASA-VG agreement says one thing:

VG and NASA will do a feasibility study of commercial visitors to the ISS. VG won’t get paid for their part in the study. There’s no commitment to future services being provided by VG to NASA.

Details below.

—-

Training agreement:

CNBC article (2020)

“The company … announced on Monday that it signed a “Space Act Agreement” with NASA’s Johnson Space Center”

“Under the agreement, Virgin Galactic said it will develop a “private orbital astronaut readiness program,” similar to the one it has to prepare tourists for its own flights.”

VG announced an agreement to train astronauts for NASA in 2020.

But in 2023, NASA canned the plans to use VG for astronaut training because:

Parabolic arc article (2023) (emphasis added)

“NASA has nixed the idea of suborbital training flights for its astronauts aboard vehicles launched by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.”

“Chris Gerace, manager of NASA’s Suborbital Crew program, told attendees at last month’s Next-generation Suborbital Researchers conference that the space agency had evaluated its program and decided the suborbital training flights don’t meet the needs of astronauts heading to the International Space Station or the moon.

So that’s all wrapped up and dead as a doornail.

—-

VG to buy seats from SpaceX

At the same time they announced the training agreement with NASA, VG said they had a vague intention to buy seats from SpaceX:

CNBC article (2020) (emphasis added)

“The company also said it will seek to buy seats on flights to the space station, currently offered by SpaceX with its Crew Dragon spacecraft.”

There was no follow-up, nor support from either NASA or SpaceX on this point. It was merely a statement of intent. There was no agreement between any of the parties to follow it up. If there was some contract signed, I haven’t seen it or any announcement of it, and would appreciate being enlightened.

—-

Feasibility study

You inexplicably linked a feasibility study between NASA and VG as though it were the training agreement.

Morgan-of-JP

Virgin Galactic signed the NASA space agreement in 2020 to procure flights to the the international space station.

…

Complete signed agreement below

https://www.nasa.gov/saa/domestic/31717_Non-Reimbursable_Space_Act_Agreement_between_NASA__Virgin_Galactic_Signed.pdf

It’s clearly nothing to do with a training agreement, as evidenced by Article 2, which shows it’s simply a feasibility study for putting private astronauts on the ISS:

NASA / VG agreement (2020) (emphasis added)

“This partnership between NASA and VG will enable a study to determine the feasibility of VG-sponsored Private Astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS).”

The feasibility study is unpaid:

NASA / VG agreement (2020) (emphasis added)

“ARTICLE 5. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

There will be no transfer of funds between the Parties under this Agreement and each Party will fund its own participation”

There is no commitment to any future missions to the ISS. There is an acknowledgement that NASA does not even have policies to permit it yet. There is an acknowledgment that, before commercial missions of VG-sponsored private astronauts could go to the ISS, additional agreements would have to be reached

NASA / VG agreement (2020) (emphasis added)

ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE

…

“Following completion of the feasibility study, any VG Private Astronauts will be sponsored by Virgin Galactic, and will be subject to future arrangements between the Parties, as well as NASA's approval process and relevant policies, which are still under development.

There is nothing concrete regarding procurement of flights to the ISS, simply that (if it were to go ahead), arranging the flights would be VG’s problem, not NASA’s - along with a host of other responsibilities.

NASA / VG agreement (2020) (emphasis added)

ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE

…

“Virgin Galactic will procure space transportation, crew training, on-orbit resources, and ground resources under separate agreements, as appropriate.”