mo4ch:>Pence vows to return Americans to space ‘before summer’ as Boeing & SpaceX scramble to deliver… and NASA seeks backup Soyuz seats | Mo4ch News

Vice President Mike Pence has promised that American astronauts would soon reach space aboard US-made rockets, but with Boeing and SpaceX struggling to build a reliable craft, even NASA is skeptical of the VP’s wishful thinking.“Before we even get to the summer… the United States will return American astronauts to space on American rockets from American soil. We’re going back and we’re going back from the USA,” Pence told an audience at NASA’s Langley Research Center on Wednesday.Still without a shuttle of its own, NASA has turned to corporations to develop and supply its spacecraft – with Elon Musk’s SpaceX now duking it out with aerospace giant Boeing for the job. But it’s difficult to see how either firm can deliver on Pence’s pre-summer deadline, neither having produced a reliable vehicle to date.Also on rt.comPence vows US will regain manned space flight capability ‘very soon’ & reconquer Moon by 2024Awarded $5.1 billion in federal funds for its Starliner capsule, Boeing has …