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NASA announced Tuesday evening that it had certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket to transport US astronauts to and from orbit, the first new device to be certified by the agency “from the space shuttle. almost 40 years ago “.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine noted the milestone given to the Elon Musk-led company, highlighting how it will advance the commercialization of space.
“I am extremely proud to say that we regularly flip launches of manned flights on American soil on an American rocket and spacecraft,” said Bridenstine. “This certification milestone is an incredible achievement by NASA and SpaceX that highlights the progress we can make by working with the commercial sector.”
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission are seen inside the SpaceX hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 9, 2020, ahead of launch pad deployment 39A. (Credit: SpaceX)
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Bridenstine recently announced that he will not serve as a NASA administrator under President-elect Biden, noting that “what you need is someone who has a close relationship with the President.”
In May, SpaceX made history by launching NASA astronauts into space from American soil for the first time since 2011, after the space shuttle pulled out.
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.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft stands on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, November 10, after being deployed overnight. (Credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky)
Since 2011, the United States has relied on Russia to send astronauts to the International Space Station, paying around $ 75 million per seat. This certification ends “the sole reliance on Russia for access,” NASA said in the statement, adding that commercial transportation provides “additional research time and broader discovery opportunities.”
“Thanks to NASA for its continued support of SpaceX and its partnership to achieve this goal,” added Musk. “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 efforts to return to the Moon, travel to Mars, and ultimately help humanity become multi-planetary.
Last month, Musk set a four-year timeline for a SpaceX mission to Mars, but warned the timeline was “just a guess.”
The certification came ahead of Saturday’s launch, which will see SpaceX and NASA send a Crew-1 mission consisting of three NASA astronauts and a Japanese astronaut to the ISS for six months.
“Certification takes us from the design and test phase to the crew rotation phase of our job, but we won’t stop ensuring that every flight, including NASA’s Space Crew-1 mission , will be approached with the same rigor as we have implemented. the best possible system for our astronauts, ”said Kathy Lueders, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Directorate of Exploration and Human Exploitation Missions.
Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight development at NASA, said the announcement changed “the arc of human spaceflight history,” adding that access to low earth orbit and the ISS was now available for more people, science and business opportunities.
“We are truly at the start of a new era of human spaceflight,” added McAlister.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on the moon by 2024 and establish a lasting human presence on Earth’s natural satellite.
The agency’s long-term goal is to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.
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James Rogers of Fox News contributed to this story.
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