CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil.
On Tuesday, NASA announced that both Boeing and SpaceX won the right to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. The deal will end NASA’s expensive reliance on Russian crew transport.
READ MORE: SpaceX unveils spacecraft designed to fly astronauts to space station
NASA officials made the long-awaited announcement at Kennedy Space Center, next door to where the launches should occur in a few years.
The contenders included SpaceX of California, already delivering space station cargo; Sierra Nevada Corp., which is developing a mini-shuttle in Colorado; and Boeing, which would assemble its crew capsules at Kennedy.
NASA astronauts have been riding Russian rockets ever since the shuttles retired in 2011. The latest price-tag is $71 million per seat.
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