SpaceX's Crew Dragon 'Resilience' successfully launches 4 astronauts to ISS
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has successfully launched four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on its Crew Dragon 'Resilience' spacecraft—its first-ever operational space taxi flight for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, propelling the Crew-1 Dragon (called Resilience) into orbit, at 7:27pm EST Sunday (5:57am IST Monday). Here's more.
Four astronauts en route to ISS for 6-month mission
"An international crew of astronauts is en route to the International Space Station following a successful launch on the first NASA-certified commercial human spacecraft system in history," wrote NASA on its website. The Crew Dragon is ferrying four astronauts to ISS for a six-month science mission. They include NASA's Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Soichi Noguchi.
Watch Crew Dragon lift off in its first operational flight
Spacecraft to autonomously dock at destination around 11:00 pm EST
The Crew Dragon 'Resilience' spacecraft will autonomously dock at its destination at about 11:00 pm EST on Monday (around 9:30 am IST on Tuesday). NASA will be providing continuous live coverage of the mission, including the docking, hatch opening, and a brief ceremony to welcome the astronauts aboard the ISS, on NASA TV as well as its official website.
The reason behind naming the spacecraft 'Resilience'
NASA stated that the astronauts have named the Crew Dragon spacecraft as "Resilience" to highlight the dedication displayed by the teams involved in the mission. It said they also wanted to "demonstrate that when we work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve." "They named it in honor of their families, colleagues, and fellow citizens," it added.
Couldn't be more proud of work we've done: SpaceX official
"I could not be more proud of the work we've done here today," said Gwynne Shotwell, the President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. "Falcon 9 looked great, Dragon was dropped off into a beautiful orbit about 12 minutes into the mission, and we will get more data as we go," she added.
NASA delivering on commitment to Americans, international partners: NASA chief
"NASA is delivering on its commitment to the American people and our international partners to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective missions...using American private industry," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This is an important mission for NASA, SpaceX, and our partners at JAXA, and we look forward to watching this crew arrive at station to carry on our partnership for all of humanity," he added.
NASA earlier certified Crew Dragon spacecraft for human spaceflights
Notably, last week, NASA had officially certified SpaceX to transport astronauts to and from the ISS on its Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. This marked a historic milestone for the American space agency and Musk's space company. With this, the Crew Dragon became the first-ever new crew spacecraft to receive NASA's certification since the Space Shuttle program was launched 40 years ago.
