WASHINGTON — NASA says it may soon be able to launch astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station. <br /> <br />Important project milestones are coming up for NASA's two commercial crew partners: Boeing and SpaceX, according to AP. <br /> <br />Several flight tests, including manned missions, are slated for 2018. <br /> <br />Boeing is working on the CST-100 Starliner. The spacecraft is designed to send up to seven astronauts to the space station. Three Starliners are currently in production, with one planned to carry astronauts next year. <br /> <br />SpaceX, which has flown cargo missions to the space station with its Dragon spacecraft, plans to use the Dragon 2 to send astronauts to space. <br />The Dragon 2 is the latest version of SpaceX's Dragon capsule model, which can carry seven astronauts. <br /> <br />Boeing and SpaceX must show that both of their systems are ready to start regular flights to the space station in order to meet NASA's requirements. <br /> <br />SpaceX has its first test flight set for February, while Boeing's launch is planned for June.
