Earlier this month, NASA announced the first US astronauts who will fly on American-made commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station — an endeavour that will return astronaut launches to US soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said: “Today, our country’s dreams of greater achievements in space are within our grasp. 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.

Today’s announcement advances our great American vision and strengthens the nation’s leadership in space.”

The agency has assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

NASA has worked closely with these companies throughout design, development and testing to ensure that their systems meet its safety and performance requirements.

Mark Geyer, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said: “The men and women we assign to these first flights are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight.

“It will be thrilling to see our astronauts lift off from American soil, and we can’t wait to see them aboard the International Space Station.”

The Starliner test flight astronauts will be Eric Boe, Christopher Ferguson and Nicole Aunapu Mann; their Boeing Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Crew Dragon test flight astronauts will be Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley; their SpaceX Crew Dragon will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

After each company successfully completes its crewed test flight, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the spacecraft and systems for regular crew missions to the space station.

The agency has contracted six missions (with up to four astronauts per mission) for each company.

More details of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found at the Web site (www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew).