NASA announced late Tuesday that it had certified the SpaceX crew Dragon Capsule and Falcon 9 rocket to carry U.S. astronauts into orbit, the “first new spacecraft certified by the agency,” nearly 40 years after the space shuttle.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Jim Brydenstein commented on the landmark given to the Elon Musk-led company and how it would advance the commercialization of space.
“We are very proud to announce that we are launching a regular human spaceflight on American soil on American rockets and spacecraft,” Brydenstein said. It highlights progress. “
The Crew Dragon Reliance for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and NASA SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission is seen inside the SpaceX hangar on November 9, 2020 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Credit: SpaceX)
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Bridensta recently announced that he would not be serving as NASA administrator under President-elect Biden, noting that “all you need is someone who has a close relationship with the president.”
In May, SpaceX made history by launching NASA astronauts from US soil into space for the first time since 2011, after the retirement of the space shuttle.
The certificate marks a historic milestone for both NASA and Elon Musk’s space company. Under the Commercial Crew Program, NASA supplied most of the funds used to develop the Crew Dragon and perform hundreds of tests over the past six years.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s crew Dragon spacecraft stands tall on the launch pad at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s La Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Tuesday, November 10, 10, and is rolled out overnight. (Credit: NASA / Joel Cosky)
Since 2011, the U.S. has relied on Russia to send astronauts to the International Space Station, at about 1 per seat. 75 million were paid. The certification ends “the only reliance on Russia for Russia’s access”, NASA said in a statement, adding that adding commercial transport “provides additional research time and wider opportunities for research.”
Musk added, “Thanks to NASA for its continued support of SpaceX and its participation in achieving this goal.” “I can’t be more proud of each and every one of my SpaceX suppliers who worked hard to develop, test and fly the first commercial manned spacecraft system in NASA-certified history. This is a great honor that inspires faith in our efforts to return to the moon, travel to Mars, and ultimately help humanity become a multi-planet. “
Last month, Kasturi set a four-year timeline for the SpaceX mission to Mars, but cautioned that the timeline was “just a guess.”
The certification came ahead of Saturday’s unveiling, in which SpaceX and NASA will send three NASA astronauts and a Japanese astronaut on a crew-1 mission included in the ISS for six months.
“The certification takes us from the design and testing phase to the crew rotation phase of our work, but we will not stop making sure that every flight, including NASA’s Space Crew-1 mission, will be approached with the same rigor we put in to build it. “It could be the best system for our astronauts,” explained Kathy Luders, associate director of NASA’s Directorate of Human Research and Operations Operations.
Phil McCluster, director of NASA’s Commercial Spaceflight Development, said the announcement changed the “arc of human spaceflight history” and added that low-Earth orbits and the ISS were now available to more people for science and business opportunities.
“We are at the beginning of a new era of human spaceflight,” added M Clister.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on the moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on Earth’s natural satellite.
The agency’s long-term goal is to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.
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The story is contributed by James Rogers of Fox News.
