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NASA on Friday introduced the first U.S. astronauts to fly on commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station.
A team of nine—seven men and two women—will operate the inaugural test flight and mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
“Today, our country’s dreams of greater achievements in space are within our grasp,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
“This accomplished group of American astronauts … will launch a new era of human spaceflight,” he continued. “[Last week’s] announcement advances our great American vision and strengthens the nation’s leadership in space.”
It also marks the first astronaut launch on U.S. soil since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011.
The public-private partnership has seen NASA, SpaceX, and Boeing design, develop, and test “sleek, 21st century spacecraft”—all the while keeping an eye on the future of deep-space exploration.
“At this moment, we have six humans living and working in space about 200 miles above us. These spacecraft will allow us to expand the space station crew,” according to Mark Geyer, director of the Johnson Space Center. “This is just the beginning of enduring missions that this country is embarking upon.”
Starliner Test Flight Astronauts
Eric Boe: A former Air Force fighter and test pilot, he was selected as an astronaut in 2000, and piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery.
“Spaceflight is about people, and these last few years I’ve been watching the people and the teams come together,” he said. “Now we’re getting close to spaceflight and I’m looking forward to the journey.”
Christopher Ferguson: A retired Navy captain, he piloted space shuttle Atlantis and commanded Endeavour and Atlantis for the Space Shuttle Program. He retired from NASA in 2011 and has worked on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner program.
Nicole Aunapu Mann: A lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps, she is an F/A-18 test pilot who was selected as an astronaut in 2013. This will be her first trip to space. She is also the first woman to be part of the first flight of a U.S. spacecraft.
“It’s absolutely an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said, adding that “As a test pilot, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Boeing’s Starliner is scheduled for liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Crew Dragon Test Flight Astronauts
Robert Behnken: A flight test engineer and colonel in the Air Force, he joined the astronaut corps in 2000 and flew aboard Endeavour twice, during which he performed six spacewalks over more than 37 hours.
Douglas Hurley: A test pilot and colonel in the Marine Corps, he joined NASA in 2000, piloting space shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis.
“The first flight is something you dream about as a test pilot, and you don’t think it’s ever going to happen to you,” according to Hurley. “Bob [Behnken] and I are extremely excited to put Crew Dragon through its paces in space and get to the International Space Station again.”
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will launch aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Starliner First Mission Astronauts
Josh Cassada: A Navy commander and test pilot selected as an astronaut in 2013. This will be his first spaceflight.
“When Americans are working together and respecting and cherishing our individual differences, that’s when Americans do the impossible,” he said. “I am so honored to be a part of that.”
Sunita Williams: A retired Navy test pilot. Since her selection as an astronaut in 1998, she has spent 322 days aboard the International Space Station, commanded the ISS, and performed seven spacewalks.
Crew Dragon First Mission Astronauts
Victor Glover: A Navy commander, aviator, and test pilot, selected as part of the 2013 astronaut candidate class. This will be his first spaceflight.
“To have the opportunity to work with these great companies on something that is so important to our nation and to NASA, this is the stuff of dreams,” he said. “I’m just excited to get to work making it a reality.”
Michael Hopkins: A former Air Force colonel chosen to be a NASA astronaut in 2009. He has spent 166 days on the ISS and conducted two spacewalks.
“The men and women we assign to these first flights are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight,” Mark Geyer, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said. “It will be thrilling to see our astronauts lift off from American soil, and we can’t wait to see them aboard the International Space Station.”
Once the crewed test flights are successfully completed, NASA will certify the spacecraft and systems for regular missions to the ISS. The agency has contracted six missions (with as many as four astronauts each) per company.
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