SpaceX Launches Unpiloted Crew Dragon to Open New Era of American Spaceflight
SpaceX successfully launches its first Crew Dragon capsule on an unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station. This milestone mission paves the way for American astronauts to launch from U.S. soil later this year.
SpaceX launches a new era in American spaceflight as a Falcon 9 rocket carries the first Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit from Kennedy Space Center. The rocket ignites at 2:49 a.m. EST, generating 1.7 million pounds of thrust to propel the commercially developed capsule toward the International Space Station. This unpiloted test flight marks a critical milestone for the company's mission to carry astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory.
Astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken watch the launch from the SpaceX control room as the assigned crew for the next Crew Dragon mission. Their upcoming flight, planned for the middle of the summer, serves as the program's second test flight and the first launch of American astronauts aboard a U.S. rocket since the shuttle program ended in 2011. Hurley expresses immense excitement about being a test pilot on the vehicle's first crewed flight.
The current unpiloted mission thoroughly tests the spacecraft's myriad systems before NASA trusts it with human lives. The capsule autonomously rendezvous and docks with the space station, evaluating navigation capabilities, avionics, telemetry, and reaction control systems. After completing its stay at the orbiting lab, the spacecraft executes a hypersonic plunge back into the atmosphere and splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean to conclude the test.