NASA gets permission to buy Russian Soyuz rockets

Last week the U.S. Senate approved a bill that will enable NASA to buy Russian Soyuz spaceships to continue to occupy the ISS beyond this year.

Lugar’s bill, S. 1713, changes the law to permit NASA to buy any Russian space hardware or services it needs for the International Space Station program until 2012.

The bill was approved the morning of Sept. 21 by unanimous consent, a Senate procedure that allows non-controversial legislation to bypass a floor vote.

Read on over at Space.com.