A Russian Soyuz MS-02 rocket launches towards the Worldwide House Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 19, 2016.
Credit score: NASA/Joel KowskyNASA might increase the variety of astronauts dwelling on the Worldwide House Station as early as this yr if an uncommon flight alternative via Boeing pans out.
As a part of a settlement with Russia's RSC Energia, which manufactures Soyuz capsules, Boeing has rights to seats on Soyuz capsules throughout station taxi missions deliberate for this fall and spring, in addition to choices for 3 extra seats throughout flights in 2019.
By then, NASA hopes to interrupt its dependence on Russia for flying crews to the station, a analysis laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth. Because the finish of the shuttle program in 2011, Soyuz capsules are the one spaceships obtainable to fly crews to the station.
In a solicitation launched on Tuesday, NASA mentioned it was contemplating making the additional Soyuz purchase via Boeing as a result of "no different autos are at present able to offering these companies in Fall 2017 or Spring 2018."
NASA already has purchased rides from Boeing and from SpaceX aboard business area taxis, that are nonetheless in improvement. Initially deliberate to be obtainable in 2018, the NASA solicitation acknowledges that the brand new autos are usually not anticipated to start totally operational flights to the ISS till 2019.
Having seats on Soyuz capsules flying in 2019 offers a backup plan if the brand new business spaceships are delayed.
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"As a part of Boeing's proposal to NASA, they might have the choice for 3 seats in 2019, which they'll select to train, or not. This ensures entry for U.S. astronauts by primarily having three seats as a back-stop if unexpected delays happen in business crew deployment, permitting the ISS to be crewed and science to be carried out," Boeing wrote in an electronic mail to Seeker.
The additional seats in 2017 and 2018 would give NASA the power so as to add a fourth U.S. crewmember to the station's employees. Russia in the meantime is chopping its three-member crew to 2, a cost-saving transfer triggered after delays in launching a brand new Russian science lab.
The Soyuz seats have been supplied to Boeing as a part of a settlement with Energia, which was the first proprietor and Boeing's companion in one other area launch firm known as Sea Launch.
Boeing declined to say how it could cost NASA for the Soyuz seats, however mentioned that the value wouldn't be greater than what the U.S. area company would pay if it bought the seats immediately from Russia.
NASA's final contract with the Russian area company Roscosmos for Soyuz seats, introduced in August 2015, was for six seats overlaying flights via 2018, at a price of $82 million apiece.
Boeing didn't say if the value can be greater than what NASA pays for rides on its CST-100 Starliner capsule, which is scheduled for an unmanned check flight in June 2018.
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SpaceX, which can present rides for NASA astronauts aboard its Dragon capsules, declined to remark.
NASA mentioned shopping for additional Soyuz rides from Boeing will not impression its different crew flight contracts with Boeing and SpaceX.
"NASA has ordered six crew-rotation missions from every business crew supplier below the Industrial Crew transportation Functionality contract. The missions will fly following NASA certification," spokeswoman Tabatha Thompson wrote in an electronic mail.
"The seats in 2017 and 2018 current a novel alternative to extend U.S. analysis, which may profit tremendously from further U.S. crew time. For 2019, though U.S. business transportation suppliers are making good progress, having an choice that protects for delays or issues in certification is a sound method and has been really helpful by company exterior evaluation our bodies," she wrote.
NASA expects to start negotiations with Boeing for the Soyuz seats later this month. Responses to the solicitation are due Jan. 27.
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