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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

NASA has selected [nasa.gov] nine American astronauts who will fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner:

NASA introduced to the world on Friday the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station [nasa.gov] – an endeavor that will return astronaut launches to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle's retirement in 2011.

"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."

For now, SpaceX's crewed test flight is scheduled for April 2019, while Boeing's is scheduled for "mid-2019". The announcement comes days after an issue with Boeing's pad abort thrusters [soylentnews.org] was revealed.

Also at BBC [bbc.com] and Fortune [fortune.com].

Previously: Safety Panel Raises Concerns Over SpaceX and Boeing Commercial Crew Plans [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX and Boeing Not Ready to Transport Astronauts to the International Space Station [soylentnews.org]

Related: Boeing CEO Says His Company Will Carry Humans to Mars Before SpaceX [soylentnews.org]

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