NASA paid $4 billion to fly 70 astronauts to ISS on Russian rockets

NASA paid nearly $4 billion to Russia to fly 70 of its astronauts to and from the International Space Station as of July 2019, aboard Soyuz spacecraft. NASA had terminated its Space Shuttle Program to transport its astronauts in 2011 after two of the orbiters exploded mid-flight. The explosions had claimed the lives of a total of 14 people.