NASA's commercial crew program for the space station faces delays, according to a report

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Plans to launch NASA's first astronauts since 2011 to the International Space Station from the United States should be delayed due to incomplete security measures and accountability holes. Federal released Wednesday, SpaceX and Boeing Co. are the two main contractors selected under the commercial crew program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send American astronauts into space as early as 2019, using their But the report from the Government Accountability Office indicated that these problems could delay the launch of the first crewed mission from US soil by a private company and result in a nine-month gap in which none of the US astronauts live in the ISS.

"Boeing and SpaceX continue to make progress in the development of their transportation systems, but both" in the absence of a viable emergency option to ensure uninterrupted access to the transportation system. ISS in case of further delays from commercial crews, we concluded that NASA might not be able to delay the certification stage in early 2019. "Boeing said it would was targeting test flights this year

"Boeing is working with NASA to make sure the CST-100 Starliner is flying. Jerry Drelling, spokesman for Boeing, told Reuters in an email

that SpaceX officials, formerly known as Space Exploration Technologies, and NASA could not be immediately contacted.

In 2014, SpaceX and Boeing were awarded contracts worth $ 2.6 billion and $ 4.2 billion, respectively, to build crew transportation systems as part of the commercial crew program. , NASA's flagship campaign to use the private sector.

In the report, NASA indicated that she was working closely with her business partners to resolve issues and was developing contingency plans in the event of further delays.

Before SpaceX and Boeing can launch the astronauts, they must demonstrate The GAO has indicated that it is monitoring potential security risks on the crew caps of private companies, including a security system. abortion of Boeing Starliner supposed to eject the capsule of a dangerous rocket explosion, and a Since 1965, NASA bought seats on the Russian spacecraft Soyuz months in advance to send American astronauts to the space station from launch pads in Kazakhstan. US launches before 2011 were handled by NASA

(Report by Joey Roulette, edited by Ben Klayman and Rosalba O & # 39; Brien)