Despite NASA’s assertion that it needed the money to end US reliance on Russia for a trip to the International Space Station (ISS), a key senate committee on Thursday rejected a proposal to provide the project funds amounting to $300 million.

The Senate Appropriations Committee in a 16-14 voting voted against an amendment by Maryland Democrat Barbara Mikulski that would have increased funding for the Commercial Crew program from $900 million to $1.2 billion in fiscal 2016.

It has been said that the proposal was part of a $3 billion package of increase Mikulski tried adding to a $51 billion bill to fund the Commerce and Justice Departments as well as science agencies in the fiscal year that starts from October 1.

Republican senators rejected the package, citing a budget deal that explains how much money is available to spend across all agencies.

Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby said, “Given the fiscal boundaries that have been set, I believe this bill does a good job of balancing the priorities of our committee members and the nation”.

Thursday's action makes it all but certain NASA won't meet its 2017 target deadline for launching the first private rockets that will carry astronauts from U.S soil to the space station.

In previous week the house approved a fiscal 2016 budget for NASA that would provide a $1 billion for the Commercial Crew Program.

The agency will continue working with private aerospace firms Boeing and SpaceX to develop a replacement for the space shuttles, which were mothballed in 2011.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a strong response to the reduced funding said gutting of this program will make NASA continue its reliance on Russia to get its astronauts to space.