US To Launch First Manned Spacecraft To ISS Since 2011 In Late May - Source

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th February, 2020) The United States will launch its first manned spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2011 in late May, a source in the Russian space and rocket industry told Sputnik.

In January, founder of the SpaceX company Elon Musk said that the company's first manned spacecraft Crew Dragon would be launched in the second quarter of this year.

"According to data obtained from the US party, the launch of the first manned spacecraft Crew Dragon is scheduled for May 20," the source said.

The US Space Shuttle program of manned spaceflights ended in 2011.

After that, only Russian Soyuz rockets delivered crews to the ISS. The Crew Dragon by SpaceX and the Starliner by Boeing were developed in the United States to send astronauts to the station.

In March, Crew Dragon made its first unmanned test flight to the ISS. In December, a similar flight was carried out by Starliner but a technical failure prevented it from docking with the ISS. After the completion of all test flights, both vehicles will be certified by NASA for full-time missions to the space station.