SpaceX and Boeing will be the two firms sending future U.S. astronauts into space. NASA officials said the two companies were awarded a $6.8 billion dollar contract to transport astronauts to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral. That is a huge boon for Central Florida, as it now boosts the region’s identity as an all-in-one commercial space port. The launching of astronauts to the International Space Station will begin by 2017.
In other business news, Wawa, a popular gas-and-convenience retailer, plans to double the number of shops it has in the Sunshine State. Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc., which will debut its 50th Florida store on September 18 near downtown Orlando, also on that day plans to announce plans for its next 50 stores for the Florida market. The stores will open in the next two years in the Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach and southwest coast markets. Wawa expects to have 36 stores operating in metro Orlando by year’s end, and the firm hires about 40-50 workers per store, on average. The new local stores will be in Sanford, Kissimmee, east Orlando and College Park.