NASA and SpaceX Launch Historic First Commercial Crew Rotation Mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully carries four astronauts to the International Space Station on the first certified commercial human spacecraft system.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches four astronauts toward the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This Crew-1 mission marks the first crew rotation flight using a NASA-certified commercial human spacecraft system. The crew includes NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
The astronauts travel inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, on a journey to begin a six-month science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA officials emphasize that this launch demonstrates the agency's commitment to providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective missions to the space station through American private industry.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft docks autonomously to the forward port of the station's Harmony module roughly 27 hours after liftoff. NASA Television and the agency's website provide continuous live coverage of the docking, hatch opening, and the welcoming ceremony as the new crew joins the existing residents of the space station.