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The unmanned Dragon flight from SpaceX's crew to the International Space Station is scheduled for Saturday, two months after the first launch, while the Elon Musk company seems to be defeating Boeing (BA) in this new race to space.
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NASA scheduled the launch of Crew Dragon at 2:48 ET Saturday from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The backup date is March 5th, 8th or 9th if the launch is delayed due to weather problems or last-minute mechanical issues.
If all goes well, the SpaceX Crew Dragon will stop at the ISS Sunday at 17:55 then defuse on March 8 to return to Earth.
The launch "will provide performance data for the Falcon 9 rocket, the Crew Dragon spacecraft and its ground systems, as well as the operations in orbit, docking and landing", according to the report. NASA.
The test was initially scheduled for January but was delayed due to mechanical problems.
The second SpaceX Crew Dragon test flight with astronauts on board is expected to be launched in July. This would be the first time that a rocket built in the United States would send astronauts from US soil into orbit since 2011.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner unassembled demonstration test was postponed until April to complete "the necessary hardware tests, data verification, the latest NASA and vendor exams, and the training of flight controllers." and mission managers, "NASA announced earlier this month.
Boeing shares rose 0.7% to 426.87 today.
Dragon Crew, starliner delays
Both capsules are extremely delayed. In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a $ 4.2 billion contract and SpaceX, a $ 2.6 billion contract, to develop a spacecraft for missions to the ISS.
The Dragon crew had an original launch date in December 2016. NASA reviewed both space taxi programs. The probe would cover anything that could have an impact on security and was launched on SpaceX and You're here (TSLA) The marijuana consumption of Musk's CEO.
Risks remain for both companies that could delay further testing.
In its 2018 Annual Report released earlier this month, NASA's Safety Advisory Group highlighted four elements of risk, including Boeing's heat shield, Space's refueling and parachute problems, and according to its 2018 annual report released early March, according to Reuters.
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