US may order Russian Soyuz spacecraft to take astronauts to ISS
The United States intends to order Russia to produce Soyuz spacecraft to take its astronauts to the International Space Station in 2020 because American-made commercial spacecraft are not ready to be delivered in time, a source in the space industry told Sputnik.
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"Negotiations are currently underway on an order for the production of Soyuz manned spacecraft. The US side will be responsible for paying for all production and flight costs to the International Space Station. The crew will include two American astronauts. The spacecraft will be piloted by a Russian cosmonaut," the source said.
According to the source, the contract is expected to be signed between Boeing Corporation and Russian space corporation "Energia". A similar agreement was signed on the delivery of American astronauts to the international space station in 2018 and the first half of 2019.The interlocutor of the news agency added that the signing of the contract will require the approval of US lawmakers, who are likely to criticize NASA's dependence on Russia.
Difficulties may also arise from Russia. Earlier, the media reported that the then Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in April made a request that the space industry agree with him on concluding contracts with countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia.