Astronauts named for first US manned space mission since end of shuttle program 

NASA on Friday announced the astronauts who will take part in the first manned missions to space launched from American soil since the agency’s space shuttle program ended in 2011.

The nine astronauts will use commercial spacecraft — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon — to travel to and from the International Space Station.

The U.S. has used Russian shuttles to send astronauts to and from the space station since the end of the shuttle program.

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“This accomplished group of American astronauts, flying on new spacecraft developed by our commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, will launch a new era of human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said a release.

The first flight on the spacecraft is expected to take place sometime next year.

The use of the commercial spacecraft marks the Trump administration’s shift toward the use of private companies in space. 

Trump’s proposed budget released earlier this year would have ended U.S. government funding for the International Space Station by 2025, allowing it to be privatized.