SpaceX and Nasa send astronauts to space
IT LOOKS like something from a movie. Someone counts down from 10, then the rocket launches into the air. This particular rocket, Falcon 9, took the Crew Dragon shuttle into space at the end of May with two astronauts from Nasa, the American space agency, on board: Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
The successful launch took place at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in the US and was watched by President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, among others.
A few minutes later, the shuttle separated from the rocket and went into orbit around Earth.
What made this event so special is that a launch rocket is usually used only once. After the shuttle separates, the rocket usually falls back to Earth and lands in the ocean. But the private company SpaceX designed Falcon 9 so it can land back on Earth and be used again – saving a ton of money.
The second part of the mission was also successful. A whole 19 hours after the launch, Robert and Douglas and the SpaceX team from the US successfully docked the Crew Dragon at the International Space Station (ISS) – with both the shuttle and the ISS travelling at 27 500km/h.
The mission will only be classified successful once the two astronauts have returned safely to Earth.
Why is this mission such big news?
It’s the first time ever that a private company has sent astronauts to space. Before only the space agencies of governments did so. SpaceX, the company established by South African-born entrepreneur Elon Musk, has transported goods to the ISS before, but not astronauts.
Musk has long dreamt of taking ordinary people – not trained astronauts – to Mars to settle there. And some people believe this is the first big step towards making that happen.
It’s also nearly a decade since Nasa last sent astronauts into space. In 2004 America temporarily shut down its shuttle programme after seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Columbia exploded in 2003.
When the construction of the ISS was completed in 2011, the American shuttles were “retired”.
After that Nasa became reliant on Russia’s Soyuz shuttle to take its astronauts to the ISS – but a seat on the shuttle cost Nasa up to $90 million (about R1,575m)!
What is the International Space Station?
It’s a habitable satellite in Earth’s orbit where astronauts and scientists can perform experiments to learn more about space and how humans, animals and plants react in zero gravity conditions. The ISS orbits Earth at a phenomenal speed, completing 16 orbits a day. Sixteen huge solar panels supply it with electricity. Researchers live and work there for months at a time.
How long will the two Americans stay there?
The Crew Dragon can remain in space for up to four months. The solar panels that supply it with electricity wear down over time and if the shuttle is docked at the ISS for too long, the panels might not be able to generate enough electricity for the return journey to Earth.
Over the next few weeks, Robert and Douglas will start up the Crew Dragon every now and then to check that the solar panels are still in good working order. If the panels last longer than expected, they could stay at the ISS for longer than four months.