First manned SpaceX mission: Capsule Docked on ISS

First manned SpaceX mission

The first manned SpaceX mission was a success. The capsule with the two astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley docked on the ISS after a 19-hour flight.

After the aborted first attempt to launch on Wednesday, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket with the two NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley took off on Saturday evening towards the International Space Station (ISS) as planned. After around 19 hours of flight in the SpaceX space capsule, the docking maneuver also went well on Sunday afternoon. Behnken and Hurley have now arrived on the ISS - they met the ISS crew Anatoli Iwanischin and Iwan Wagner (Russia) and Chris Cassidy (USA).

SpaceX: First manned U.S. launch since 2011

The mission baptized Demo-2 is historic in many ways. For the first time since 2011, astronauts were able to leave the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the ISS. The end of the space shuttle program was sealed nine years ago. It is also the first time that NASA has relied on the rocket of a private space company. For SpaceX and its boss Elon Musk, it is the first manned space flight.

In recent years, the United States has had to rely on Russian support for its space missions - which was not least one thing: expensive. A seat in a Russian Soyuz capsule paid $ 86 million. Accordingly, the country cost the so-called "Commercial Crew Program" several billion, the SpaceX and Boeing were paid for the development of private missiles. Ultimately, NASA wants to make itself independent of Russia when it comes to manned space missions. The moon and, in the future, Mars may also be targeted by a human visit.

NASA astronauts prepare for ISS Crew 1 mission

Anyway, Behnken and Hurley will now spend a few weeks or months on the ISS. Because the exact time of their return flight to Earth is not yet certain. For the two US astronauts, it is also about preparing the following Crew 1 mission, in which four astronauts are to be transported to the ISS. However, a maximum of 119 days is open for NASA space travelers, as the Futurezone reports. Then the electricity-generating solar panels should not last much longer.