NASA signed 490 million US dollars contract with Russia for International Space Station travel

NASA on 5 August 2015 signed a contract worth 490 million US dollars with Russia's space agency Roscosmos for carrying the US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The contract was signed amid a lack of Congressional funding.

The US space agency in a statement said that the US will continue to rely exclusively on Russia to take astronauts to the orbiting outpost under the new contract, which runs until 2019.

NASA further said a lack of funding for development of private vessels by US companies Boeing and Space-X over the last five years has left NASA with no other option. As a result, the US will pay for use of space vessels belonging to the Roscosmos.

The US has been dependent on Russia for ISS access since it ended its space shuttle program in July 2012.

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