Spacewatch: NASA to Launch New Crewed Boat in 2019 | Science

NOTAsa and its commercial partners, Boeing and SpaceX, are nearing the end of their development program for new crew capsules that will serve as taxis between the Earth and the International Space Station (ISS).

The last two unprepared test flights have been confirmed for next year. They will be followed by the first astronauts this summer.

The United States no longer has the national means to launch their astronauts since 2011, the year of the withdrawal of the space shuttle. Since then, he relies on Russian Soyuz gear to transport Americans into space.

In parallel, NASA has developed capsules as part of the commercial crew program. This effort is coming to an end. On January 7th, SpaceX will launch its first Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will be an unarmed test flight to the ISS, which will pave the way for the first crewed flight in June.

In March, Boeing will perform a similar test on its CST-100 Starliner for its crew launch in August. Prior to manned flights, both companies will conduct launch and drop-in tests. NASA is also conducting a review of its corporate safety culture.