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:
- SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon module (Demo-2 mission) with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, marking the first crewed flight from a commercial spacecraft and the return of human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011.
- The mission involved the successful docking of the Crew Dragon with the International Space Station and the reusable landing of the Falcon 9 rocket on a droneship, though the launch faced an initial weather-related delay.
- The Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavor by its crew, is primarily autonomous but also offers manual control capabilities to the astronauts.
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