NASA to Build Space Taxi for Astronauts, Boeing Likely to Lead

NASA is looking to build its own spacecraft to take astronauts to and from orbit, and Boeing is emerging as the top contender to win the contract. The way Boeing plans to build the transportation capsule is deemed slightly less risky than the proposals presented by others, including Elon Musk's SpaceX. NASA has been sending astronauts to space using Russia's capsule. Each ride comes with a price tag of $70 million. The U.S. not only doesn't want to pay that much, it also doesn't want to depend on the Kremlin in the long run. The envisioned ferry for astronauts, more commonly known as the space taxi program, will ideally be put into use in three years. Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada are the finalists in the bidding process. NASA will reportedly announce who will lead the project this month. The space taxi contract is worth more than $3 billion dollars, according to the Seattle Times.