SpaceX's historic first crewed mission blasted off for the International Space Station as scheduled on Saturday.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in the background as dolphins swim in a lagoon near Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gregg Newton/AFP/Gregg Newton
It successfully landed back on the launch pad after propelling a manned crew into orbit for the first time in human history. No other company has yet perfected the technology of a reusable rocket in this way. The Falcon 9 rocket with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule was scheduled to lift off at 3:22 pm Eastern Time on what is designed to be the final test flight before NASA certifies the spacecraft for regular crew flights.
Behnken and Hurley, veterans of two space shuttle missions each, have been in quarantine for more than two weeks and have been regularly tested for COVID-19. SpaceX conducted a successful test flight of Crew Dragon to the ISS in March 2019 with a sensor-laden mannequin on board named Ripley, after the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the “Alien” movies.
The US space agency paid more than $3 billion for SpaceX to design, build, test and operate its reusable capsule for six future space round-trips.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New SpaceX Starship rocket prototype explodes on Texas test padA prototype of SpaceX's upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk's space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
Read more »
WATCH LIVE: Crew on board as SpaceX, NASA to try again for landmark launch of two astronautsThe two-man crew entered the capsule that will take them to the International Space Station on Saturday, as Elon Musk's private rocket company SpaceX was set for a repeat attempt at launching the Americans into orbit
Read more »
WATCH LIVE: Crew on board as SpaceX, NASA to try again for landmark launch of two astronautsThe two-man crew entered the capsule that will take them to the International Space Station on Saturday, as Elon Musk's private rocket company SpaceX was set for a repeat attempt at launching the Americans into orbit
Read more »
New SpaceX Starship rocket prototype explodes on Texas test padA prototype of SpaceX's upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk's space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.
Read more »
WATCH | Adoptions on hold: Shelters struggle with space for babies abandoned during lockdownLike many other shelters, Door of Hope is struggling to cope with the demand. The shelter recently welcomed two new babies, bringing the total at the shelter to 73 - three short of its capacity.
Read more »
WATCH | Adoptions on hold: Shelters struggle with space for babies abandoned during lockdownLike many other shelters, Door of Hope is struggling to cope with the demand. The shelter recently welcomed two new babies, bringing the total at the shelter to 73 - three short of its capacity.
Read more »