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Business News/ News / World/  Nasa to pay Russia $490 million for ISS travel
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Nasa to pay Russia $490 million for ISS travel

The US has been dependent on Russia for ISS access since it ended its space shuttle programme in July 2012

Nasa said a lack of funding for development of private vessels by US companies Boeing and SpaceX over the last 5 years has left with no other option. Photo: BloombergPremium
Nasa said a lack of funding for development of private vessels by US companies Boeing and SpaceX over the last 5 years has left with no other option. Photo: Bloomberg

Washington: Nasa has extended a contract with Russia’s space agency for $490 million to carry US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) amid a lack of Congressional funding, the US agency said Wednesday.

The United States will continue to rely exclusively on Russia to take astronauts to the orbiting outpost under the new contract, which runs until 2019, even as relations between the two countries have reached their lowest point since the Cold War.

The United States has been dependent on Russia for ISS access since it ended its space shuttle programme in July 2012.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said a lack of funding for development of private vessels by US companies Boeing and SpaceX over the last five years has left Nasa with no other option.

As a result, the United States will pay for use of space vessels belonging to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), even as Washington imposes harsh economic sanctions on Russia over its suspected support of separatists fighting Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine.

Nasa administrator Charles Bolden warned Congress in a letter on Wednesday that Boeing and SpaceX may not be ready by the end of 2017 to carry out a plan to send up their first manned vessels if funding requested by President Barack Obama is not granted in the 2016 budget.

The programme requires $1.24 billion to reach its goals, Bolden said.

“The fastest path to bringing these new systems online, launching from America, and ending our sole reliance on Russia is fully funding Nasa’s Commercial Crew Programme in FY 2016," Bolden wrote.

The Republican majority in the House of Representatives and Senate have proposed reducing that sum by $250 million and $300 million respectively.

If Congress goes forward with these cuts, it “would likely result in funds running out for both contractors during the spring/summer of FY 2016" Bolden said.

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Published: 06 Aug 2015, 07:13 PM IST
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