Jan 27, 2015 03:06 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

NASA has indicated it is getting serious about ending the U.S.' reliance on Russia for ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) by developing manned space taxis by 2017.

According to CBS News, NASA will spend $5 billion on a program for Boeing and SpaceX to build commercial spacecraft to carry astronauts to the ISS. If the companies can manage the task, the U.S. will no longer have to pay the Russian Federal Space Agency per American astronaut.

John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration, said at a new conference Monday his company would be ready to have a spacecraft perform an unmanned test flight in April 2017.

"Commercial crew is incredibly important to the space station, it's important to reduce the cost of transportation to low-Earth orbit so that NASA has within its budget the capability to develop means to explore beyond low-Earth orbit," he said. "And importantly, I think, it's beginning a whole new industry... We're making great progress on the program."

Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, gave a similar timeframe at the presser, noting their craft could be ready as early as late 2016.

"Our crew Dragon leverages the cargo capability that we've been flying successfully to the International Space Station," she said. "However, we understand, and we've been told, that crew is clearly different. So there are a number of upgrades that we've been working for the past few years to assure that this crew version of Dragon is as reliable as it can possibly be. Ultimately, we plan for it to be the most reliable spaceship flying crew ever."

Political tensions have not interfered with the U.S. and Russia's collaborative efforts at the ISS, as the two countries are world leaders in space exploration. But the U.S. has wanted to end their reliance on the Russian government for ISS ferrying.

"It's an incredible testament to American ingenuity and know-how, and an extraordinary validation of the vision we laid out just a few years ago as we prepared for the long-planned retirement of the space shuttle," Charles Bolden, NASA administrator, said at the news conference. "This work is part of a vital strategy to equip our nation with the technologies for the future and inspire a new generation of explorers to take the next giant leap for America."

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