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The SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft on the launch pad prior to the launch of Crew-1 for NASA.
SpaceX
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced on Tuesday it had certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket to transport astronauts to and from orbit, the agency’s first U.S. spacecraft certification since the program. space shuttle nearly 40 years ago.
The certification marks a historic milestone for NASA and Elon Musk’s space company. NASA, as part of the Commercial Crew program, has provided most of the funds used to develop Crew Dragon over the past six years and conduct hundreds of tests.
“Thanks to NASA for its continued support of SpaceX and its partnership in achieving this goal,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. “I could not be more proud of everyone at SpaceX and all of our suppliers who worked incredibly hard to develop, test and pilot the first commercial manned space flight system in history to be certified by NASA. It is a great honor that inspires confidence in our effort to return to the Moon, travel to Mars and ultimately help humanity become multi-planetary. “
Since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011, the United States has paid Russia more than $ 80 million per seat to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX certification ends that dependence on Russia and comes with an expected cost of around $ 55 million per astronaut. Additionally, as Boeing also works to complete its Starliner capsule as part of the Commercial Crew program, NASA estimates that competition between two private companies for contracts has saved the agency between $ 20 billion and $ 30 billion. in development costs.
“This certification milestone is an incredible achievement by NASA and SpaceX that highlights the progress we can make by working with the commercial industry,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
From left to right, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
NASA
NASA’s certification came after the agency and SpaceX completed exams ahead of the Crew-1 mission, currently slated for launch on Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will see SpaceX’s rocket and spacecraft transport three NASA astronauts – Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker – as well as a Japanese astronaut – Soichi Noguchi – to the ISS, where they will spend six months conducting research and perform tasks.
“It’s a very exciting day for those of us who have been waiting for this for a very long time,” said Kathy Lueders, director of human spaceflight at NASA, after completing the Crew-1 reviews.
The agency will also be able to increase its continued presence on the ISS to seven out of six astronauts, allowing more time to be spent on scientific research and experimentation.
“NASA’s partnership with US private industry is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science and more. more business opportunities, ”said NASA Director of Commercial Spaceflight Phil McAlister. “We are truly at the start of a new era of human spaceflight.”
Crew-1 comes about five months after SpaceX successfully completed its Demo-2 flight, which carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley for the company’s first-ever crewed mission and final test flight. by Crew Dragon. The Crew-1 mission comes with additional milestones for SpaceX, as it marks the start of regular astronaut missions for the company. Between its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Cargo Dragon, SpaceX expects to have a continued presence in space going forward.
“Starting with the CRS-21 cargo mission, every time we launch a Dragon, there will be two dragons in space, simultaneously, for extended periods of time,” SpaceX senior director Benji Reed said on Tuesday.
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