BA Boeing Co

By Andy Pasztor 

NASA has formally acknowledged what many aerospace industry officials have speculated for years: U.S.-built spacecraft won't be ready to routinely transport American astronauts into orbit by 2018 as promised.

In a contracting document released Tuesday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said it is considering securing up to five additional seats for American astronauts in Russian capsules over the next three years. The move is necessary, according to the agency, partly because U.S. commercial providers aren't expected to begin fully operational flights to the international space station until 2019.

Initially the deadline for the flights was 2015. Boeing Co. and Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. have promised to start ferrying astronauts to the international orbiting laboratory by 2018 at the latest. At this point, NASA has secured Russian seats through the end of that year.

NASA's latest document goes further than the agency has before in conceding the starting date for operational flights may continue to slip. Three additional seats that may be purchased for spring 2019 missions would provide "primary or backup transportation capability," according to the agency.

In an unusual twist, the seats would be purchased from Boeing, which acquired them as part of a settlement with Russian space authorities in an unrelated legal dispute.

But signals that NASA is moving toward extending its reliance on Russian rockets and capsules is bound to cause consternation and prompt criticism on Capitol Hill. The price Russia charges for a single seat has averaged $81 million, but that could rise.

Still, there is no other way for NASA to get its astronauts into orbit, or fly them back to Earth, since the agency retired its space-shuttle fleet six years ago.

While the U.S. increases its seats in the Russian capsules, Moscow is reducing the number of its astronauts slated to be on the space station in coming years. Cutting its permanent crew complement to two from the typical three suggests support for the space station is waning among Russian authorities. NASA, by contrast, hopes to pick up some of those slots as part of its campaign to step up scientific activity onboard the station.

Technical problems encountered by the two American companies have been well publicized over the years, ranging from leaking capsules to propulsion issues. NASA's document noted that without assured transportation for U.S. crews to the station, the orbiting laboratory could stop functioning.

Despite the pressure, senior managers at both companies have stressed they won't fly manned capsules until all safety issues are resolved.

NASA's announcement doesn't commit the agency to procuring the extra seats, but it does reserve that option for President-elect Donald Trump's administration . Historically, Russian officials have demanded a three-year lead time for providing seats to NASA.

Last week, NASA's safety watchdogs issued a report indicating that some technical issues remain challenging and of concern. Whether the necessary work to mitigate or eliminate those hazards "can be accomplished without a substantial slip in the schedule remains to be seen," according to the advisory board's report.

Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 18, 2017 22:49 ET (03:49 GMT)

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