NASA and SpaceX target May 27 to send astronauts to the ISS aboard an American rocket the first time in nearly a decade
- NASA and SpaceX will launch two astronauts aboard an American rocket May 27
- This will be the first mission to leave from US to the ISS since 2011
- The crew will board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule at Kennedy Space Center
- NASA previously had to purchase seats for its astronauts on Russian capsules
NASA and SpaceX has officially marked May 27 to send the astronauts aboard an American rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) in for the first time in nearly a decade.
The space agency announced Friday that astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will board the Crew Dragon capsule and liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
The ISS has been accessible to astronauts only through the purchase of seats on Russian capsules launched from Kazakhstan and this will be the first time NASA has launched its own crew since 2011.
The launch is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which has partnered with the American aerospace industry to bring spaceflight back to US soil.
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NASA and SpaceX has officially marked May 27 to send the astronauts aboard an American rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) in for the first time in nearly a decade
As with most high-profile missions, the new date could slip, but it seems NASA and SpaceX are determined to carry out the launch.
‘The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station, which will allow for additional research time and will increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s testbed for exploration,’ explained NASA last month.
The agency is mulling whether to extend Behnken and Hurley’s stay aboard the space station from a week as originally planned to up to six months in order to ensure US astronauts are staffed on the station continuously.
May’s mission is the final test for Crew Dragon before regularly flying humans for NASA under its Commercial Crew Program, a public-private initiative.
The space agency announced Friday that astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley (right) will board the Crew Dragon capsule and liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center
Friday’s announcement comes weeks after SpaceX’s president and COO Gwynne Shotwell revealed the California company is ‘gunning for May’ to fly astronauts aboard its Crew Dragon to the International Space Station.
Shotwell noted that NASA astronauts set to take the craft are currently in training by should be ready to go in two months.
The Commercial Crew Program will not position SpaceX as a front runner for space travel.
The ISS (pictured) has been accessible to astronauts only through the purchase of seats on Russian capsules launched from Kazakhstan and this will be the first time NASA has launched its own crew since 2011
After Crew Dragon’s demonstration mission with crew is complete, Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins will be the first two NASA astronauts to launch aboard Crew Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS) for a long-duration mission.
The capsule has gone through ups and downs throughout the past several years.
In April last year, an explosion engulfed the empty capsule in fire and smoke
The incident was set off by a leaking component and completely destroyed the capsule – a glitch that has contributed to SpaceX’s delayed timeline for Crew Dragon.
WHAT IS SPACEX’ CREW DRAGON CAPSULE?
The March 2 test, the first launch of U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil in eight years, will inform the system design and operations (Artist’s impression)
The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time.
The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland.
It also has an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that provides a comfortable and safe environment for crew members.
Crew Dragon’s displays will provide real-time information on the state of the spacecraft’s capabilities, showing everything from Dragon’s position in space, to possible destinations, to the environment on board.
Those CRS-2 Dragon missions will use ‘propulsive’ landings, where the capsule lands on a landing pad using its SuperDraco thrusters rather than splashing down in the ocean.
That will allow NASA faster access to the cargo returned by those spacecraft, and also build up experience for propulsive landings of crewed Dragon spacecraft.
