NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will depart from the International Space Center in August after becoming the first humans to ever go to space in a SpaceX spacecraft. A successful splashdown will conclude the SpaceX Demo-2 crewed flight test mission to certify the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft for operational missions.
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Did you miss watching history on Saturday or just miss the thrill of SpaceX sending NASA astronauts to space for the first time ever? You’ll want to set aside five hours (or at least a few minutes) to watch the newest footage from Elon Musk’s space exploration company.
SpaceX has published a 4 hour 49 minute long replay of the Crew Demo 2 test flight mission launch from Saturday, May 30, including the first 25 minutes of flight.
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be on their journey to the International Space Station in just four days. Before history is made on May 27, the NASA and SpaceX teams must prepare with a bit of practice in the form of a dress rehearsal.
Sporting modern SpaceX flight suits inside a Tesla Model X electric SUV tagged with “ISSBND” (as in International Space Station bound), the astronaut duo went through all the motions of what we’ll see on Wednesday — minus firing off a Falcon 9 rocket.
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The crew of the upcoming NASA and SpaceX Demo-2 mission will have work awaiting them when they arrive at the International Space Station later this month. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will join Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy for an extended stay on ISS as part of the final flight test for SpaceX and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch on May 27 will be historic for several reasons. For NASA and the nation, the launch will mark the first time U.S. astronauts have launched from American soil on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. For SpaceX, Demo-2 will be the first time the commercial space company has launched humans to space ever.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine made the case for the crew of Demo-2’s extended stay on ISS in a blog post today:
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NASA will close a nearly decade long chapter next month when SpaceX sends American astronauts to space on an American rocket from American soil.
Since the Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011, American’s space agency has relied on leasing seats from Russian rockets in Kazakhstan to send NASA astronauts to space.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced today that the mission, called Demo-2 or DM-2, officially has a launch date scheduled.
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