Elon Musk owned SpaceX has finally succeeded to mark its name in the history books after successfully launching two NASA astronauts to space towards the International Space Station (ISS). This feat is achieved by using the company’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew Dragon capsule rested on top of the Falcon 9 and was detached after a victorious launch. Want to know more about the mission? Here are some interesting facts about SpaceX Crew Dragon.
SpaceX Crew Dragon
The US space agency on Sunday announced the mission is a significant step to expand human exploration to deeper space missions.
- The two NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are the first two American spacemen to travel into space from US soil in the last 9 years
- The last NASA launch happened on 8 July 2011. In the past years, NASA was using Russia’s guidance by using the Soyuz spaceship to take astronauts to the ISS
- This was the first business flight to space. The SpaceX flight is the first time a business company has carried two humans into space. This firm will be charging on a seat basis, related to how flights work
- The Crew Dragon capsule was designed to lie on top of Falcon 9 rockets and is working entirely on autonomous mode
- The docking system with the ISS will also be carried through the self-governing process. The astronauts won’t have to manually control the capsule before docking. Though, they can manually reverse the controls
- The Crew Dragon capsule does not use any buttons or switches, which has been the standard in all space flights up till now. The capsule has large touch screens to operate and manage the different functions. The capsule also occupies a life support system for times of emergency
- The suits of the two cosmonauts are not only made to withstand the severe conditions of the space, but they were also created with aesthetics in mind. SpaceX made the suit in collaboration with costume designer Jose Hernandez
- The astronauts have been planning for the launch in SpaceX’s headquarters. Last year, the organization even carried a dry run without any crew on board and was able to dock triumphantly
- Falcon 9, the spacecraft that took the Crew Dragon to space is already back in a safe shape and successfully landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The safe return of the rocket will assist SpaceX to save expenses in the future
After spending a few weeks at the space station, the two explorers will start their journey back to earth using the same Crew Dragon capsule.
