[ad_1]
Image copyright
Spacex
Spacex Crew Dragon Artistic Concept
NASA has announced that next month it will launch its first manned mission from US soil in nearly 10 years.
The rocket and the spacecraft it transports will take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on May 27, taking two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
Both the rocket and the spacecraft were developed by the private company SpaceX.
NASA has been using Russian rockets for manned flights since its space shuttle retired in 2011.
Image copyright
Reuters
Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley
If successful, SpaceX, led by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, will become the first private company to send NASA astronauts into space.
The Falcon Nine rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft will take off from the space pad’s historic Pad 39A, the same one used for the Apollo and shuttle missions.
Media playback is not supported on your device
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will take approximately 24 hours to reach the ISS.
An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts are currently on board the ISS.
- SpaceX completes crew emergency escape maneuver
