It is the first time that US astronauts have been sent into space by a private company, signalling an end to the US dependence on Russian space technology
MUMBAI| Essaying a historic chapter for the United States (US) space programme, Elon Musk-run SpaceX on Saturday blasted two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard the reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA said, The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley was on its way to the orbiting laboratory in the space and had safely reached orbit.
Falcon 9 lifts off from historic Launch Complex 39A and sends Crew Dragon to orbit on its first flight with @NASA astronauts to the @space_station pic.twitter.com/UOoaKiQaFk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 31, 2020
Its the first time since 2011 the US has sent astronauts into space. It is also the first time that US astronauts have been sent into space by a private company, signalling an end to the US dependence on Russian space technology.
The crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, the same site used for the first moon landing in 1969, reports CNN.
SpaceX engineer Lauren Lyons said, “I can’t believe it with my own eyes. I’m so grateful they’re up there.”
Falcon 9 lifts off from historic Launch Complex 39A and sends Crew Dragon to orbit on its first flight with @NASA astronauts to the @space_station pic.twitter.com/UOoaKiQaFk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 31, 2020
The journey would take approximately 19 hours and the astronauts should reach the space station at around 10:30 ET, according to NASA.
Falcon 9 launches Crew Dragon on its first flight with @NASA astronauts on board! pic.twitter.com/FUd0SSRKud
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 30, 2020
After successfully docking, Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard the station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew. Earlier, NASA and SpaceX postponed the historic launch of two astronauts to space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday due to bad weather.
This is the first-ever crewed mission for SpaceX, nearly a decade after the US government retired the space shuttle programme in 2011. Although the Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, the specific mission duration will be determined once on a station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch, said NASA.
The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement. Upon conclusion of the mission, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the two astronauts on board depart the space station and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Upon splashdown just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery vessel and return to Cape Canaveral.
This Demo-2 mission is the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme certifies Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station, laying the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis programme, which will land and the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024.
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