SpaceX will get to transport astronauts to the space station

Elon Musk's aerospace company, SpaceX, will be one of the first private companies able to fly American astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA announced Friday.

The firm will join Boeing and two yet-to-be-announced companies with orders to shuttle astronauts as soon as 2017.

Since 2011, NASA has relied on Russian aircraft to transport astronauts, BuzzFeed News reports. NASA has not yet said which company will run the first commercial flight.

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SpaceX has not yet resumed launches since the June 28 explosion of an unmanned rocket, The Los Angeles Times reports.