SpaceX: All about the Dragon Crew launch
Here's everything you need to know about the launch that took place on Saturday, May 30 .
The SpaceX company rocket was launched on Saturday, May 30, bound for the International Space Station. / Photo: NASA / Bill Ingalls
LatinAmerican Post | Staff
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Leer en español: SpaceX: Todo sobre el lanzamiento del Dragon Crew
On Saturday, May 30, the launch of the Dragon Crew took place, a SpaceX company ship that had on board two crew members who were destined for the international special station, a mission that can be a precursor to technological advances outside of what we dream of and extraplanetary commercial travel. Here everything you should know about it.
About the launch and its importance
The launch took place on Saturday, May 30 after being postponed last Wednesday, May 27 due to bad weather. This is the first time in nine years that NASA has put two of its astronauts into orbit, and the first time in history that it has done so on a privately-owned spacecraft. This is the Dragon Crew spacecraft, owned by SpaceX, by businessman Elon Musk, who tries to take the lead when it comes to space travel. Thus, this is the first time that a private spacecraft has made a "taxi" for NASA crews, this trip and launch being then a precursor to the privatization of space travel.
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About the mission
As already stated, the Crew Dragon's mission is to make space travel private or undergo a privatization process. Elon Musk has previously stated his intention to found the first commercial space travel airline. This mission, then, aims to be a precursor to this possibility, since it is part of the NASA Commercial Crew Program. Thus, Demo-2, as they have named this mission, is the latest test for the NASA crew to maneuver with this SpaceX spacecraft to approve this company and its ships for commercial crew missions to and from the Space Station. International, the destiny of the Dragon Crew.
Thus, even though it is the first time that NASA astronauts have tested the SpaceX spacecraft system in orbit, this mission will certify the Dragon Crew as a possible transport for these future missions. This will be, on the one hand, a step to privatize the space ships and the construction and development of the ships necessary for this, but also, on the other hand, it will be a great step for NASA to continue with its investigations that lay the foundations for future explorations of the Moon and Mars.
About the crew
Aboard the Crew Dragon were Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. Both are NASA astronauts since 2000 and have each completed two trips to space prior to the launch that took place on May 30. Bob Behnken was born in Anne, Missouri, and is a mechanical engineer, physicist, and former test engineer for the US Air Force. Doug Hurley, on the other hand, is a New York-born civil engineer and prior to being a NASA astronaut, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot for the United States Marines.
