The breakup of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003 led the Bush administration to decide to end the shuttle program by 2010. In many ways, SpaceX’s achievement is due not only to technological advances, but opportunity brought about by disaster. For SpaceX, it’s another step on their road to Mars, but more generally, it demonstrates that spaceflight need not be reserved for only the most powerful of states. Image credit: NASA/James BlairĪs a space policy expert, I find it hard to overstate the significance for both SpaceX and spaceflight in general. To date, only three countries – Russia, the United States and China – have achieved this feat.Īstronauts Douglas Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken before boarding the Gulfstream jet that will carry them to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Human spaceflight is incredibly difficult and expensive the rockets must be reliable and the vehicle must be built with expensive life support systems and a certain level of redundancy. What’s even more remarkable is they will not be launched by NASA but by a private company, SpaceX. If successful, this will mark the first time in nine years that American astronauts will launch into space from American soil. Hurley are planning to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on a mission to the International Space Station. On 27 May, two American astronauts, Robert L. It has now been re-scheduled for 31 May, 12.52 AM IST. However, due to bad weather conditions, they had to cancel the launch. Editor's Note: The NASA-SpaceX joint human spaceflight was scheduled for liftoff on Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST (Wednesday, 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT) from the Launch Complex 39A from the Kenndy Space Centre, Florida.
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