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It is unclear when astronauts will launch into orbit next to US soil, but NASA next week will clear up a much-anticipated aspect of the missions: which astronauts will be the first to fly Boeing and SpaceX capsules when? they will be ready.
At a major event on Friday, August 3 at Houston, where the astronauts' body is the administrator of NASAJimBriden, the pilot's crews will be embarking on the CST-100StarlinerandDragonSpaceXdeBoeing
Crews of four who will follow after the capsules are certified as safe for operational missions will also be announced.
It remains to be seen which company will win the race to fly the first crew under NASA.
Current schedules are known to have no basis in reality, showing non-departed test flights planned next month and the first crew test flights before the end of this year.
NASA will likely update flight schedules with crew assignments. The space agency has long said it would announce the assignments about a year before the missions.
Already three years have passed since NASA appointed a group of four astronauts for test flights, which were scheduled for 2017.
Astronauts Bob Behnken, Eric Boe, Doug Hurley and Sunita Williams debuted But former NASA astronaut and current Boeing Starliner leader Chris Ferguson, who was leading the last space shuttle mission in 2011, is expected to represent Boeing on the first Starliner flight, with a crewmember NASA. SpaceX will fly a crew from NASA
This would leave a member of NASA's test pilot waiting for a subsequent operational mission.
Boeing will launch Starliners at the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets of Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX will launch Dragons at the top of the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A Falcon 9 rockets.
Independent government observers warned of delays in commercial flight crews as both companies complete development and testing of their capsules. The microgravity laboratory vessel orbits 250 miles above the head of the Russian Soyuz to transport crews to and from the ISS
NASA will use its latest Soyuz seats by the end of 2019 , risking not being able to space station if Boeing and SpaceX are not certified for operational missions by 2020.
The announcement of Friday was originally to be organized by KSC, the main center Commercial Crew Program, potentially including the participation of Vice President Mike Pence. or even President Donald Trump.
But the place has been moved to JSC, so far without any confirmed White House involvement.
KSC Director Bob Cabana and JSC Director Mark Geyer will join Bridenstine to announce the crew.
NASA won Boeing and SpaceX contracts worth $ 4.2 billion and $ 2.6 billion respectively in 2014 to transport astronauts on test flights and up to To six operational flights to the ISS
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