The crewed SpaceX Dragon module positioned atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, successfully launched on May 30, at 3:22 pm EDT. The crew, NASA veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, completed docking with the International Space Station on May 31 at 10:29 am EDT and boarded the ISS at 1:02 pm, becoming the first astronauts to do so from a commercially made spacecraft. The mission also returned crewed space flight to US soil for the first time since the end of the space shuttle program in August 2011. Since the beginning of the program in 2010, SpaceX has completed 21 uncrewed trips to the ISS.
SpaceX Launches Crewed Dragon Endeavor, Docks With ISS
Key Takeaways:
- The SpaceX Crew Dragon, carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, successfully launched on May 30 and docked with the International Space Station on May 31, marking the return of crewed spaceflight to US soil and the first launch from a commercially made spacecraft.
- Dubbed Demo-2, the mission also successfully demonstrated the reusability of the Falcon 9 rocket, which landed on an ocean-borne droneship after separating from the Crew Dragon.
- The launch, which was delayed once due to weather, highlighted the stringent go/no-go criteria for spaceflight, and the Crew Dragon itself is designed for autonomous operation but allows for manual pilot control.
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