--- title: "NASA: Russia May Be Forced to Launch Cosmonauts With SpaceX" description: "NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is officially launching to work aboard the International Sapce Station as a flight engineer for a six month period in the fall. But to get into space, she’ll have to rely on Russian space agency Roscosmos — not SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule that successfully shuttled two NASA astronauts to the station […]" date: "2020-06-04" modified: "2020-06-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-russia-forced-cosmonauts-spacex" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "NASA" - "Roscosmos" - "soyuz" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA: Russia May Be Forced to Launch Cosmonauts With SpaceX ![NASA might soon end its reliance on Russia to send astronauts into space. In fact, Russian cosmonauts might soon have to chose SpaceX instead.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Flip the Script For the past decade, NASA has relied on Russian space agency Roscosmos to launch its astronauts to the International Space Station. But soon, a NASA spokesperson [told *Forbes*](), Russia could be forced to hire its rival SpaceX to send cosmonauts into orbit. "The expectation is cosmonauts will fly on Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner and vice versa," NASA spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz told *Forbes*. "The exact details of how that is enabled are what we’re working \[on\]." ## Tense Relations There's no love lost between SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Russian space authorities. After [successfully launching]() NASA astronauts to the ISS this past weekend, Musk couldn't resist [taking a dig]() at Roscosmos. NASA has maintained a more cordial relationship. In fact, it [plans to launch]() one final astronaut in a Roscosmos Soyuz capsule this fall — though that will probably be its final launch with Russia. "NASA has high confidence that U.S. commercial crew providers will be available in 2020/2021 and that no further Soyuz seat purchases will be necessary," Schierholz told *Forbes*. **READ MORE:** [Despite SpaceX Success NASA Will Pay Russia $90 Million To Take U.S. Astronaut To The ISS]() \[*Forbes*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[Elon Musk Just Absolutely Roasted the Russian Space Program]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()