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After the first attempt launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday was scrubbed due to weather, the next attempt at launch will be on Saturday. This will be the first launch of Americans from U.S. soil since the last Space Shuttle mission landed on July 21, 2011. The flight will be part of the Crew Demo-2 and Launch America missions.
The SpaceX rocket is now scheduled to depart from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 3:22 p.m. ET, Saturday, May 30. If the weather continues to not cooperate, a backup departure is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, Sunday, May 31. Aboard the mission will be NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
Here are details about the rocket’s unique abilities and the significance of the launch.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon proved its ability to carry thousands of pounds of cargo mass to and from space following its successful launch on March 2, 2019. The capsule is approximately 13 feet wide by 27 feet long. On the Crew Dragon’s departure from Earth, it is expected to accelerate to up to 17,000 miles per hour, setting it on a path to intercept the ISS. The SpaceX Crew Dragon has the unique ability to dock and undock independent of astronaut assistance.
The Crew Dragon’s original purpose was to carry humans, with the ability to carry up to seven astronauts. However, for the first test run of carrying humans, only two will be aboard. The Crew Dragon is the first ever American-built operational rocket that will be carrying astronauts to the ISS. After opening the hatch between the craft and an onsite location of the ISS, the astronauts may get onto the space station.
To coincide with the impressive rocket, astronauts will have state-of-the-art suits with 3D printed helmets, touchscreen compatible gloves and hearing protection for the craft’s takeoff and landing.
After docking with the ISS, Behnken and Hurley will become part of the Expedition 63 crew, and conduct space research. Currently the duration of the stay in space is undetermined, but the Crew Dragon has the ability to stay in orbit for up to 110 days for the test flight. If all goes well, future flights aboard the Crew Dragon will stay in orbit for at least 210 days to meet NASA’s requirements.
Not only will the launch of humans into space aboard the Crew Dragon prove its reliability and validation of SpaceX’s transportation system, but it will lay the groundwork for future space endeavors for humans to the Moon and Mars, including the launch of the first woman to the Moon scheduled for 2024.
While SpaceX has been a leader of space exploration, other companies are designing human spacecrafts too. The Boeing Company has created a Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner spacecraft that is designed to carry seven passengers, similar to the SpaceX Crew Dragon.
The Starliner craft completed a historic launch in 2019 when it landed on American soil instead of an ocean on its return to Earth on December 22. However, software issues with the craft did not allow for the craft to reach the ISS. No exact date is planned for the Starliner’s crewed test flight, but the astronauts for the mission have been selected and the launch is expected to take place sometime in 2021.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch of astronauts to space is a symbol of the exciting resurgence in exploration and the return of human launches from the U.S. The mission could provide hope and crucial information for future missions to the ISS and an eventual lunar return.
Sources: nasa.gov, spacex.com, boeing.com
---------- Story Image: The SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is docked to the ISS. (Credit: NASA TV)