By Next Year, NASA Astronauts May Not Have a Ride to the Space Station

NASA may be sending fewer astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) beginning in April because of the delays in spacecraft from Boeing and SpaceX, according to a new report from the NASA Office of the Inspector General.

The report, released on November 14, found that because of the delays from Boeing and SpaceX, along with a reduced schedule for the Russian Soyuz rockets, operations on the ISS may be affected.

With a smaller crew on the station, research and development of future space missions would be pushed back until a commercial partner has a certified rocket and capsule, ready to bring a fresh crew of astronauts to the ISS.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner. (Credit: SpaceX/Boeing)

SpaceX/Boeing

With the end of NASA’s space shuttle program in 2011, American astronauts, along with their international partners in the U.S. On-Orbit Segment (USOS) — the Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency ...