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SpaceX became the first company to design, build, launch and moor a commercial spacecraft designed to transport people to the International Space Station.
The rocket company Elon Musk launched the seven-seater, called Crew Dragon, Saturday at 2:49 ET. By early Sunday morning, the 14,000-pound space capsule had caught up with the laboratory the size of a football field orbiting the Earth.
After a series of security checks, SpaceX began pushing Crew Dragon towards the front of the space station. At 0551 eastern daylight time, he made a soft contact with a mooring knot, engaged six arms and hung himself. About 11 minutes later, the spacecraft screwed firmly to node 2 of the space station.
Nobody was on board to open the Crew Dragon hatch – only 400 pounds of cargo and a female shock test dummy called "Ripley". However, NASA has stated that SpaceX's Demo-1 demo or mission was "a critical first step" in restoring space access by the US team, which is the first step in the world. The objective is to prove that the new spacecraft is able to fly its astronauts.
"A new generation of spaceflight now begins with the arrival of @ SpaceX's Crew Dragon on @Space_Station," said Jim Bridenstine, NASA Administrator. tweeted on Sunday. "Congratulations to all for this historic accomplishment that brings us closer to the possibility of flying American astronauts into American rockets."
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NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavor was the last American ship to hit the space station in July 2011.
On Sunday, Crew Dragon docked at Node 2: the place where NASA's 100-ton space shuttle orbiters were often moored.
The symbolism has not been forgotten for the current crew of three people, Expedition 58, who opened the hatch, floated inside Crew Dragon at 8:07, Eastern Time, and hosted a welcome ceremony for Crew Dragon live on NASA TV.
"It was a beautiful thing to see," said David Saint-Jacques, Canadian astronaut and crew member of the station. "We welcome today a brand new spacecraft in the space station and a terrific new addition to the quiver of tools we have available to allow humans to pursue space exploration." is a good day, the first day of a new era for the next generation of space explorers. "
& # 39; Welcome to the new era of spaceflight & # 39;
During the brief welcoming ceremony, the Commander of Expedition 58, Oleg Kononenko, s' voiced first.
"On behalf of my crew, I would like to congratulate the United States of America and the NASA team for this very important event: the launch and docking of SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft" said Kononenko. "It's a historic step … on our way to human beings [moving] beyond the low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars and the future. "
Saint-Jacques then spoke, amazed by the thousands of people, the years of work and the close collaboration between SpaceX and NASA that allowed the docking of a commercial spacecraft.
Anne McClain, NASA astronaut and other member of the space station team. She had the most to say about the successful arrival of Crew Dragon in her home orbiting the sky.
"Our sincere congratulations to all the earthlings who allowed the opening of this next chapter of space exploration," McClain said. "And congratulations to all nations, private space companies and individuals who wake up every day, driven by the magic of exploration, this day belongs to us all."
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She talked about the international composition of the space station and the efforts to create it, 250 miles above the Earth, and how Crew Dragon is now part of it.
"Space flights give us an opportunity to reflect on the context of our existence, and we are reminded that we are human before any difference, before all the dividing lines are divided," she said. . "We are reminded that we are at our best when we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
"These events remind us that we are more alike than different, that we can be united by a cause that is not based on fear, threat or a common enemy, but rather on a daring enterprise – an insatiable curiosity. to go beyond what we know and do what has never been done.We, humans, have been built for exploration, and we have been built to do it together. "
McClain and his colleagues then floated in the Crew Dragon to show it to the world.
Inside the spaceship, McClain grabbed a stuffed earth toy SpaceX had attached to a seat before launch. Musk called the toy is a "very high tech zero gravity indicator" and it floats around the cabin at the end of a string since entering Crew Dragon's orbit.
"On behalf of Ripley, Little Earth, myself and our crew, welcome to the dragon of the crew," she said. "These incredible feats do not show us just how simple our mission is, but how difficult we are to do things – welcome to the new era of spaceflight."
She then rotated the Earth toy with a slight boost:
The difficult road remains to come for the inaugural flight of Crew Dragon
The mission of Crew Dragon is not over with the docking and opening of the hatch. He must perform a series of other feats before NASA allows astronauts on board, including a manual landing.
The launch and docking are what Musk described Saturday as "some of the riskiest elements" of the Demo-1 mission. But undocking, de-orbiting and splashing in the water are coming.
The crew of the space station is scheduled to close the crew's hatchway Thursday, and the departure of the ship is scheduled at 2 am ET.
Read more: This is what the new Space Crew Dragon has to do in SpaceX's sleep to prove that it's safe to fly its passengers
Crew Dragon then lands in the Atlantic Ocean near the Kennedy Space Center on Friday around 7:30 am ET. (You can watch live coverage of every important step here.)
If SpaceX manages to achieve Demo-1 with flying colors, the mission could be a major turning point for the company.
"The main focus of SpaceX was the space flight crew and the improvement of space exploration technologies – it's actually the full name of the company: Space Exploration Technologies "said Musk at a press conference held Saturday after the launch.
He added, "It's been 17 years – we have not started anyone yet – but hopefully we'll do it later this year, which would certainly be the culmination of a long dream for me and a lot of people. other people from SpaceX. "
The data collected by Demo-1 will be used to refine and finalize a new Dragon Crew that will fly astronauts on an experimental mission called Demo-2.
SpaceX and NASA could launch their first crewed mission to the space station in July, and veteran astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be on board.
"It's an incredibly stylish vehicle," Hurley said at an impromptu briefing Friday at the Kennedy Space Center, adding that he was "much more intuitive" than the space shuttle. He noted that instead of about 2,000 buttons, buttons, dials, switches and other controls such as a shuttle, Crew Dragon has about 30.
"We have been following the process for a few years now," Behnken said after its launch on Sunday. "So seeing such success definitely gives us a lot of confidence in the future."
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