NASA Will Launch Astronauts to the Space Station For The First Time Since 2011

By Amanda Roland
NASA space station

This coming Saturday (May 30), NASA and SpaceX will launch an American rocket to the International Space Station. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will be on the flight.

The pair will fly on “SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 3:22 p.m. EDT May 30, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission,” according to NASA’s website. The length of the mission is still to be determined.

This mission is apart of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program which works with the aerospace industry as new spacecraft and launch systems are developed to carry different crews. You can learn more about this program here.  

“As the final flight test for SpaceX, this mission will validate the company’s crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities,” according to NASA. “This also will be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit.”

This launch was originally scheduled to take off on Wednesday, May 27, but had to be delayed due to weather complications.

by Amanda Roland

 

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