Since 2011, every American who has gone to space has done so on a Russian rocket. Programs to remedy that situation are running years behind schedule, but now the goal line is in sight. Both Boeing and SpaceX are nearing the first tests of their new craft for carrying astronauts into orbit and manned flights are likely to resume in the first half of 2019. So on Friday morning, NASA is naming the astronauts who will crew the first Boeing’s Star Liner and SpaceX Crew Dragon as they return American astronauts to American rockets.
Live streaming of the announcement starts at 1100 ET.
Until a few weeks ago, Boeing was thought to be ahead in the race to get their new vehicle up first. But, as Bloomberg reported earlier this week, a small fuel leak during a test of the emergency escape system has set Boeing back, giving SpaceX the edge for the moment.
SpaceX plans to fly Demo-2, its first crewed test flight, in April 2019, while Boeing’s Crew Test Flight is now slated for mid-2019, according to a new schedule that NASA released Thursday. Both dates are later than the companies had been targeting.
Unmanned tests of both crafts are still expected before the end of 2018, and possibly within the next month.
Friday, Aug 3, 2018 · 3:29:03 PM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
Second Crew Dragon crew (first to ISS):
Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins
This will be Glover’s first spaceflight. Hopkins is a well-known astronaut whose experience looks great … so long as he’s not standing beside Suni Williams.