Another success for the joint SpaceX and NASA mission. A manned Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket carried the astronauts into space. Four people (this time from three countries) were on board again, and they will join the crew of the International Space Station.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has taken four more people into space Photo: Screenshot from the NASA broadcast
A great start for the Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon
The missile launch was postponed from Thursday to Friday due to unfavorable weather conditions, but this time it took place without any problems. The Dragon Crew with a crew of four took off from the center Lotto John F. Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:49 CET (5:49 local time).
The missile’s first stage (the so-called booster) was less than three minutes after it separated from the rest of the missile, and after about 6.5 minutes it landed independently on a battleship in the Atlantic. Once again, SpaceX has successfully downloaded the Falcon 9 Booster to Earth, which may be used again in the future.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has taken four more people into space Photo: Screenshot from the NASA broadcast
12 minutes after takeoff from Cape Canaveral, the second stage of the Falcoln 9 rocket also detached from the Crew Dragon capsule. For the next 23 hours, the astronauts will fly toward the International Space Station, and on Saturday they will catch up with it into orbit at 11:10 Polish time, and attach to one of the station’s units. After two and a half hours, astronauts will be welcomed to the International Space Station.
On board the Crew Dragon were two Americans (on behalf of NASA) – astronaut Shane Kembra and astronaut Megan MacArthur, French astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA) – Thomas Pesquet and a Japanese from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – Akihiko Hoshid.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has taken four more people into space Photo: screenshot from the NASA broadcast
Another big hit for SpaceX
Manned public rehearsal Crew Dragon’s flight to the International Space Station took place in March 2019. SpaceX sent astronauts into space for the first time in May 2020. It was the first manned flight by a private company and the first manned flight from US soil in 9 years.
The first regular mission with four astronauts took place in November 2020. When three Americans – Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japanese Soishi Noguchi – went on a trip to the International Space Station.
Previously, for many years, drone flight tests and tests were carried out, which were not always successful. Nevertheless, SpaceX was able to improve technology and overcome all obstacles, thanks to which NASA no longer had to use (expensive) assistance from the Russians. Inhabited Flights Boeing also plans to go into space, but the company has so far failed a successful test.
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