It’s a Go!
After a failed first attempt, it seems that second time is a charm for SpaceX-NASA joint human space mission. The Crew Dragon …
It’s a Go!
After a failed first attempt, it seems that second time is a charm for SpaceX-NASA joint human space mission. The Crew Dragon was launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket and this is a test flight called Demonstration 2 or Demo 2.
After a nine-year drought, since Space Shuttle program was shut down in 2011, NASA has finally launched its own astronauts from American soil with the help of its public-private partnership with SpaceX.
The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday,28 May,2.00 am IST (Wednesday,27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida which was also the launch site for the previous Apollo and Space Shuttle missions and was leased by SpaceX. Due to bad weather, the launch had to be rescheduled on Sunday,31 May,12.52 am IST (May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT).
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are on their to the International Space Station and will dock automatically around 7.00 pm IST,19 hours after the lift-off.
There were a lot of doubts if the launch was going to happen today as the weather seems pretty similar to Thursday – cloudy with some rain and chances of lightning. However,45 minutes before the launch, mission director gave the team the all-clear for the launch and 10 minutes later the propellant was being loaded into the two-stage rocket.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence also present for the launch like they were for the wet rehearsal as well. Space.com reportsthat Trump told reporters ‘that he felt an obligation as president to watch the historic liftoff.’
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX was surprisingly missing. Thursday, Musk was seen talking to the astronauts after they suited up in the crew quarters, he was also seen standing with Pence and Bridenstine at the behind exit when the astronauts were leaving the building. He even has a couple of interviews with NASA chief Jim Bridenstine. However, this time around Musk had been replaced with former astronaut and current Director of Kennedy Space Center, Bob Cabana and Jim Morhard, Deputy Administrator at NASA.
