NASA and the private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company SpaceX are gearing up to launch astronauts to the International Space StationOpens in a new tab (ISS) in May of this year. And even though astronauts are frequently sent from Earth to the ISS, this particular launch from this particular pairing is special. Seminal, even, as it will mark the first time that American astronautsOpens in a new tab have been launched from American soil into space in nearly a decade.
NASA has been drumming up excitement for the May 27 mission, with the agency’s Commercial Crew Program noting that it will mark the return of human spaceflightOpens in a new tab to America. Jim Bridenstine, the Administrator of NASA, posted an inspiration video (which already has a relatively high one million-plus views) promoting the upcoming mission with the tagline, “Launch America.”Opens in a new tab
Meanwhile, SpaceX has also been doing its best to inspireOpens in a new tab an appreciation for the upcoming mission. The company’s been pumping out plenty of posts highlighting the capabilities and achievements of its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule, both of which will be used to launch American astronauts Col. Doug HurleyOpens in a new tab and Bob BehnkenOpens in a new tab into space. The company has also released an animation (below) that demonstrates what the most notable steps of the upcoming mission will hopefully look like.
Both Falcon 9Opens in a new tab and Crew Dragon are also, according to the company’s CEO Elon Musk, manufactured entirely in the U.SOpens in a new tab. The Falcon 9 is the line of low Earth orbit (LEO) rocketsOpens in a new tab that SpaceX has been able reuse over and over again to deliver cargo to the ISS and satellites into orbit around Earth. This reusability of LEO rockets is something that only SpaceX has been able to accomplish, and is possible thanks to its ability to land first stages (the bottom, largest portions of the rockets), as well as its use of fairings (the rockets’ coverings for their cargo) that can be caught out at sea.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is a variant of the company’s Dragon 2Opens in a new tab reusable spacecraft, which itself is the newest iteration of Dragon 1—an iconic vehicle in its own right. In May of 2012, Dragon 1 became the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit, and has since spent 520 days in total attached to the ISSOpens in a new tab.
A look inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. NASA KennedyOpens in a new tab
And while a lot of these technical stats and mission details may sound dry, the summation of all of these milestones and capabilities is quite remarkable. As mentioned, the U.S. hasn’t sent astronauts into space in nearly ten years, with the last manned mission occurring in 2011 via NASA’s Space Shuttle ProgramOpens in a new tab. Since then, America has had to rely on Russia’s Soyuz family of rockets to send its astronauts to the ISS. But should this mission prove to be successful, it will not only mean the end of an era marked by a lack of human spaceflight in the U.S., but may also potentially usher in a new one with a completely new paradigmOpens in a new tab.
A look at SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it launches from Earth. SpaceXOpens in a new tab
Imagine a new space age, where astronauts—outfitted in some very spiffy spacesuits like theseOpens in a new tab—are sent to the ISS aboard reusable rockets, which deliver manned crew capsules that dock autonomously with the ISS, before heading back down to Earth to land on terra firma in the U.S.—or even on floating drone shipsOpens in a new tab. Then, once they’re finished with their missions aboard the ISS, having those same astronauts return to Earth safely aboard reusable crew capsules, which eventually touch down in the ocean. With all of the rockets’ and capsules’ (almost entirely reusable) components manufactured in America.
SpaceX
NASA also apparently wants SpaceX to be the initial commercial provider for delivering cargo to the “Lunar Gateway,”Opens in a new tab the space station NASA plans on putting into orbit around the Moon as a part of its Mars-focused Artemis programOpens in a new tab.
For those who want to watch history happen, both SpaceXOpens in a new tab and NASAOpens in a new tab will live stream the May 27 launch, which is set to occur at 4:32PM EST. Following the SpaceX twitterOpens in a new tab account also generally seems like the most immediate, most detailed way to learn about the latest updates on the mission.
Feature Image: NASA KennedyOpens in a new tab
