- General
- August 4, 2018
- 6 minutes read
NASA unveils astronauts for SpaceX & Boeing first commercial space missions
The astronauts, from left to right: Sunita Williams, Josh Cassada, Eric Boe, Nicole Mann, Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken,…
 |
| The astronauts, from left to right: Sunita Williams, Josh Cassada, Eric Boe, Nicole Mann, Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover. |
NASA
Just this Friday, NASA unveiled the 9 astronauts who will fly on American made commercial spacecraft on missions to and from the International Space Station (ISS) in a bid to return astronaut launches to the US for the first time since the retirement of NASA’s space shuttle 7 years ago.
The spacecrafts will be developed in collaboration with SpaceX and Boeing marking a major milestone for the commercial space industry as both companies prepare to begin launching astronauts to space using its its Starliner and Crew Dragon vehicles.
“Today, our country’s dreams of greater achievements in space are within our grasp,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This accomplished group of American astronauts, flying on new spacecraft developed by our commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, will launch a new era of human spaceflight. Today’s announcement advances our great American vision and strengthens the nation’s leadership in space.”
 |
| SpaceX’s Crew Dragon |
SpaceX
 |
| Boeing’s Starliner |
Boeing
Four astronauts will mount test flight and first missions on the Crew Dragon with the remaining 5 mounting Boeing’s Starliner missions.
By names of Eric Boe, Christopher Ferguson, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Robert Behnken, Douglas Hurley, Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada, They will get to mount the commercial spacecrafts along with other crew members assigned by NASA’s international partners at a later date.
“The men and women we assign to these first flights are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight,” said Mark Geyer, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It will be thrilling to see our astronauts lift off from American soil, and we can’t wait to see them aboard the International Space Station.”
SpaceX and Boeing’s spaceflight capability will enable NASA to maintain a crew of 7 astronauts on the space station maximizing scientific research for more achievements and breakthroughs in understanding and easing the challenges of long-duration spaceflight.
NASA’s commercial crew program poised to bring back the US’s capability to launch astronauts from its soil to the ISS.
The astronauts selected for this space missions have in-depth experiences in space programs with a whole lot of combined hours flying across several space vehicles between them.
