NASA Administrator Made The Assessment At The International Astronautical Federation's Annual Congress

With two companies planning demonstration flights of commercial cargo hauling capabilities to ISS, NASA administrator Charles Bolden (pictured) said during a roundtable discussion with other space agency leaders at the annual congress of the International Astronautical Federation Monday  that the first deliveries of supplies by a commercial carrier could come within months, rather than years.

With the recent problems associated with the Russian Soyuz launch system, Bolden said that "Commercial transportation of cargo and crew remain crucial, if not critical, to our future aboard the International Space Station."

The French news service AFP reports that the remarks came during a meeting among the heads of the space programs of many of the ISS partner nations held Monday. He said the space station will "continue to be the centrepiece of our human space flight activities through at least 2020."

The head of Russia's Federal Space Agency Vladimir Popovkin told the meeting that the next crew launch to ISS is currently planned for November 14th. Soyuz launches had been halted after a Progress cargo vessel failed to reach orbit and made an uncontrolled return to Earth in August.

FMI: www.iafastro.com