SpaceX's Crew-1 astronaut mission for NASA

Launched at 12.27am UK time on Monday in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on November the 17^th, safely bringing 4 astronauts for a 6-month stay on the station. Why is this a historical moment? Read on to find out!

This mission has many extra-ordinary aspects to it: it’s the first flight of the “Commercial Crew Program”, the NASA collaboration with SpaceX to operate cheaper spaceflights, notably thanks to the reusable Flacon 9 rocket. Another partnership that is strengthened by this mission is that between NASA and JAXA (the Japanese Space Agency). As well, it’s the first manned spacecraft to launch from the US since 2011.

The mission’s commander is Mike Hopkins; funnily enough, he grew up on a farm in Missouri and will be conducting experiments to grow food on board of the ISS! In accordance with NASA’s ambition to diversify its teams, female astronaut Shannon Walker is the mission’s flight engineer. As well, the mission’s pilot Victor Glover is the first black person to stay for an extended period of time on board of the ISS. Last but not least, NASA’s partnership with JAXA will enable Soichi Noguchi to go on his third trip to space – note that he’s flown on the Space Shuttle, the Soyuz spacecraft and now the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket !

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Although there were technical difficulties, dealys and many postponements of Crew-1 ever since the program was started in 2016, now the Crew-2 mission is scheduled for March 2021 and will again carry 4 astronauts (Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Thomas Pesquet and Akihiko Hoshide). According to SpaceX themselves, Crew-1 serves as " groundwork for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond"; moreover, we can glimpse a near future where the dream of many amateur astronomers becomes a reality: to go to space themselves. And you, would you climb on board of the next Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS ?

You can watch the whole Launch Coverage at https://youtu.be/bnChQbxLkkI

Cover image: Crew-1 Astronauts in the Capsule, SpaceX

Image credit:
1- Resilience docking with the ISS, NASA
2- Crew-1 Astronauts, NASA
3- SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule dimensions and features, SpaceX and NASA
4- A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, NASA/Joel Kowsky

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