Featured Image: Crew Dragon launches aboard a Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnson aboard. (Image credit: Next Horizons Spaceflight/ Stephen Marr)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – History was made when at 3:22 pm EDT, SpaceX launched the Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. This is the first time the United States has launched astronauts from US soil since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. This is also the first time a commercial company has launched astronauts. The stage one booster successfully landed on Of Course I Still Love You, a drone ship placed in the Atlantic. This was the second attempt at launch for this mission, with Wednesday’s launch being scrubbed due to weather.
The capsule entered a nominal orbit at T+12:30. The astronauts aboard are NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. The crew is now in a hold while they catch up to the ISS, their ultimate destination. During this down time, the crew will sleep, eat, and they will manipulate the controls of the capsule to test its maneuvering. The capsule is scheduled to arrive at the ISS at 10:27 am EDT Sunday morning. NASA TV will have continuous coverage until that time at https://www.nasa.gov.
This return to flight is just the first of SpaceX’s many planned Crew Dragon launches to the ISS over the next five years. Stay tuned to get your Falcon fix!
Next Horizons Spaceflight 