Moscow, Feb 10: NASA said in a statement it was considering obtaining an extra seat on the Soyuz spring mission for its astronaut to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
“NASA now is considering obtaining a supplemental seat on the upcoming spring Soyuz crew rotation mission for a NASA astronaut to add additional capability to the agency’s planning,” NASA said.
“The agency issued a public synopsis to identify all sources that potentially could provide the crew transportation service in the needed timeframe beyond the capability NASA already has in operation with the agency’s Commercial Crew Program,” it said.
Earlier, three sources told Sputnik that the United States could buy a seat on the Soyuz MS-18 manned spacecraft for an astronaut’s flight to the ISS in April 2021.
“Securing an additional Soyuz seat assures the back-up capability of at least one U.S. crew member aboard the International Space Station in the event of a problem with either spacecraft. NASA is considering providing in-kind services for this supplemental crew transportation service, rather than an exchange of funds,” NASA said.
(agencies)
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