NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for the first flight of the newly developed vehicle, SpaceX & # 39; s Crew Dragon, to take astronauts to the International Space Station. The pilot mission to orbit two NASA astronauts will be the first record that people have launched on American soil since the end of the 2011 space shuttle program.
The flight has continued for years since NASA chose SpaceX and rival Boeing to develop a new spacecraft to and from astronauts to the ISS as part of the commercial crew program. SpaceX turned Dragon Cargo capsules, which have been supplied to the ISS for many years, into vehicles that can carry people. With 6 years of development and various test successes and failures, the capsule is finally ready to transport the first passenger as a flight test. NASA astronaut Doug Hurley will be the spacecraft commander and NASA astronaut Bob Behnken will be the co-commander.
Of course, the mission date is an incredibly difficult time as the world is still fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. The launch begins at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On April 1, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered the state's residents to come home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, NASA has issued a mandatory telecommunications policy at all centers, except for the required personnel. However, the Space Agency said it was monitoring the pandemic in preparation for the launch.
In a statement released in March, NASA said, "NASA is proactively monitoring as the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation develops." "The agency will continue to follow the directions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the chief health and medical officer of the agency and will notify you of any updates that may affect mission planning or media access.
Whoever sees it, the first flight of the Crew Dragon is a big problem for both NASA and SpaceX. SpaceX is the first time people have boarded a vehicle, and this release will help ensure that the crew dragon is ready to fly the ISS regularly. This flight will also help end NASA's dependence on Russia, the only country that can send astronauts to the ISS. Even if timing is not ideal, many people are doing this.