Sunita to pilot commercial flight into space
Houston, Aug. 4: Indian- origin US astronaut Sunita Williams is among the nine astronauts named by Nasa who will fly the first missions into space on commercially provided rockets and capsules, starting next year.
Announcing the names of the nine astronauts on Friday, the space agency said that the crews would fly on spacecraft developed not by Nasa but by two corporations, SpaceX and Boeing, which are under contract to provide a taxi- like service to the International Space Station ( ISS).
On the first human test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Nasa selected astronauts Eric Boe and Nicole Mann will join Boeing executive Chris Ferguson. Nasa astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley would fly on the first human test flight of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
On the first operational mission to ISS, Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada will fly for Boeing. Nasa astronauts Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins would fly Dragon’s first operational mission to the space station.
In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX were awarded a combined $ 6.8 billion in contracts from Nasa to develop spacecraft capable of flying crews to ISS, the orbiting laboratory.
While both companies had recently said they would conduct their first test flights with astronauts on board by the end of this year, those flights are now scheduled for 2019.
Washington, Aug. 4: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( Nasa) on Friday ( local time) announced the names of the first astronauts to fly on Americanmade, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station.
The agency assigned nine astronauts, including Sunita Williams, to crew the first test flight, who according to Mark Geyer, director of Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, “are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight”.
“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,” he added.
The first nine astronauts include Eric Boe, Christopher Ferguson, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Robert Behnken, Douglas Hurley, Josh Cassada, Sunita Williams, Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins.
Additional crew members will be assigned by Nasa’s international partners at a later date.
As per Nasa, it is an endeavour which will return astronaut launches to the United States soil for the first time after the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011.
Since the space shuttle programme was shut down, Nasa has had to rely on Russia to fly astronauts to the space station, a $ 100 billion orbital research laboratory that flies about 250 miles ( 402 km) above Earth.
“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,” he added.
Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program is facilitating the development of a US commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and costeffect i v e access to from the I n t e r n at i o n a l Space Station and low- Earth orbit. and
As per Nasa, it is an endeavour which will return astronaut launches to the United States soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement