NASA to Outsource Astronaut Delivery to SpaceX, Boeing

We finally have a replacement for the Space Shuttle — or rather, two replacements. And neither of them will be built by NASA.

SpaceX and Boeing will both be awarded contracts for a rocket launch system that will deliver NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, starting in 2017, according to multiple reports that cite sources familiar with the matter. The official announcement, with more details, will be made at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

See also: NASA Is Building 'World’s Most Powerful Rocket'

Currently, NASA has to buy seats on Russian Soyuz rockets to ferry astronauts to the ISS. Not only does that cost $70 million per seat — at a half-dozen seats per year — it's increasingly problematic as Russia has become more belligerent and Western nations have been searching for sanctions Read more...

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