"Back-to-back wet dress rehearsals" disrupt the astronauts' sleep cycles, Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine told a Friday news conference. Since then, Nasa astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. The last time Nasa launched astronauts into space aboard a brand-new vehicle was 40 years ago at the start of the shuttle program. Aerospace giant Boeing Co, producing its own launch system in competition with SpaceX, is expected to fly its CST-100 Starliner vehicle with astronauts aboard for the first-time next year. Nasa has awarded nearly $8 billion to SpaceX and Boeing combined for development of their rival rockets.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 30, 2020 10:07 UTC