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

(This July 11 story in the last paragraph corrects the launcher period, the number of spaces reserved in advance on the Soyuz spacecraft and the number of ramps in Kazakhstan.)

By Joey Roulette [19659003] ORLANDO, Fla The launch plans of NASA's first astronauts since 2011 to the International Space Station from the United States should be delayed due to incomplete security measures and holes of responsibility in the program. Commercial crew of the agency, according to a federal report released on 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 by 2019, using respectively their satellite Dragon and Starliner. According to the Government Accountability Office, the problems could lead to delays in launching the first crewed mission from US soil by a private company and could lead to "Boeing and SpaceX continue to make progress in the development of their systems. crew transportation, but both subcontractors further delayed the certification stage in early 2019, "says the report

. ] "Without a viable contingency option to ensure uninterrupted access to the ISS in case of additional business delays, we concluded that NASA may not be able to maximize the return on its multi-billion dollar investment in the station. Space. "

"Boeing is working with NASA to make sure the CST-100 Starliner flies as safely as possible," said Boeing spokesman Boeing. Drelling told Reuters in an e-mail

The representatives of SpaceX, formerly known as Space Exploration Technologies, and NASA could not be immediately contacted

In 2014, SpaceX and Boeing received $ 2.6 billion and $ 4.2 billion for the construction of crew transportation systems as part of the commercial crew program, NASA's flagship campaign to private sector for ISS missions.

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 indicated that it was monitoring potential security risks on the crew caps of the private companies, including a system of flight crews. abortion of Boeing Starliner supposed to eject the capsule of a dangerous rocket explosion, and an improved fuel valve on the SpaceX Falcon rocket that triggered an expensive explosion of the dashboard in 2016.

Since 2000, NASA buys seats on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft years in advance to send American astronauts to the space station. (Reportage by Joey Roulette, edited by Ben Klayman and Rosalba O & Brien)