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Original title: The Crew Dragon spacecraft began its first official manned flight, 4 astronauts will take the spacecraft into orbit Source: Global Times
According to a CNN report on the 14th, as scheduled, on the 15th local time, four astronauts will put SpaceX’s manned spacecraft “Dragon” into orbit. NASA hopes this will happen. It is a good start for SpaceX to ensure that the personnel of the International Space Station fly from one side of the world to the other.
You can see the live video from NASA here:
The launch was originally scheduled for the evening of the 14th, but NASA Director Bridenstine said on the afternoon of the 13th that SpaceX and NASA postponed the original launch time until 7:27 p.m. ET on the 15th due to to strong winds at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. .
Three NASA astronauts: Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker will join Japanese astronaut Noguchi Satoshi on the flight. Sunday’s launch time will also depend on weather conditions. However, according to the latest forecast from the US Army’s 45th Space Wing, the probability of favorable conditions on Sunday appears to be lower than on Saturday.
Prior to this launch, the manned “Dragon” spacecraft carried out its first historic manned mission in May, but that flight is still considered a “verification” mission, consisting of two senior NASA astronauts and former military personnel. . Pilot driving test. CBS stated on the 14th that in order to achieve “official operation” status, NASA must allow SpaceX’s “Dragon” and “Falcon 9” manned rockets to reach the manned level. This is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process, and it was eventually completed through two test flights: one was an unmanned flight and the other was to send two astronauts to the International Space Station.
Sunday’s mission is called the “Crew No. 1” mission and is considered the first full-scale mission of the manned “Dragon” spacecraft. The mission “Unit 2” is scheduled to be implemented in the spring of 2021. In these two missions, astronauts will go to the space station to carry out space missions.
CNN said the launch mission is very important. NASA has been eagerly awaiting this mission for 10 years. After the space shuttle was retired in 2011, the United States lost the ability to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. For many years, Russia’s “Soyuz” spacecraft has been a vehicle for space station personnel. SpaceX changed this situation. NASA stated that “Crew No. 1” has undergone “multiple updates” based on previous flight experience. For example, the spacecraft’s solar panels have been reinforced. NASA plans to use this spacecraft to fly to the International Space Station several times a year to transport new astronauts, perhaps one day ordinary citizens. Frequent flights will greatly increase the amount of scientific research that can be done on the International Space Station.
