"The venture marks a break with tradition for the
48-year-old space agency. “This is the first opportunity NASA
has taken to engage entrepreneurs in a way that allows us to
satisfy our needs and lets commercial industry gain a foothold. It
could, and should, have profound impacts on the way NASA does
business.”
Source: Marc Timm, acting Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services (COTS) Program executive in NASA’s
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, following NASA's Friday
announcement in which they selected two partners for the
revolutionary program.