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NASA, the US space agency, announced on Tuesday (17) that SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), successfully complete the first trip of the new mode of transport, after almost a decade of dependence on Russia. The capsule, called “Resilience”, was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.
The crew consists of four astronauts: three Americans and one Japanese. The first phase of the docking was completed at 4:01 am (1:01 am Brasilia), 27 hours after launch on top of the rocket. The second phase, or “hard catch,” occurred minutes later.
Astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi floated in zero gravity through the hatch towards the ISS, where they were received with shouts and hugs by the three crew of the station (two Russians and one American).
The crew will remain for six months on the ISS.
The crew of the SpaceX capsule poses with astronaut Kate Rubins and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, during a welcoming ceremony on November 17, 2020 – Photo: Nasa TV via AP
“Thank you so much for letting me say hello to all of you,” NASA’s Manned Space Flight Program Director Kathy Lauders said in a video message. “I want to say how proud we are of you,” he added.
“This is a great day for the United States and Japan,” said NASA Director Jim Bridenstine.
SpaceX has two more manned flights scheduled in 2021 for NASA and four ISS refueling missions over the next 15 months.
A 100% private trip is also planned, through partner Axiom Space, towards the end of 2021. NASA suggested that American actor Tom Cruise could visit the ISS, which has not been confirmed.
The Nasa TV image shows the astronauts monitoring SpaceX controls as the capsule approaches the ISS – Photo: Nasa TV via AP
The SpaceX Dragon capsule is today the second device capable of reaching the ISS, along with the Russian Soyuz. The latter has brought all visitors to the station since 2011, after the United States halted its shuttle flights nine years ago. Another device, made by Boeing, may be operational within a year.
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NASA hopes, however, to continue cooperating with Russia. To this end, the US agency has proposed providing places for its cosmonauts on future missions and intends for Americans to continue using Soyouz regularly. However, the negotiations are dragging on.
But the reality is that ties between Washington and Moscow in the space sphere, one of the rare sectors in which the partnership remains productive, are losing steam.
Breaking more than 20 years of cooperation on the ISS, Russia will not participate in NASA’s next mini-station around the Moon, Gateway.
For Artemis, the American program to return to the Moon in 2024, NASA has established alliances with other space agencies, including Japan and Europe, but the future is unclear. The space agency has yet to receive tens of billions of dollars from Congress to fund the project.
