SpaceX flies crew to ISS

SpaceX became the first private company to send humans into orbit in 2020. After the close of the Space Shuttle programme in 2011, the Crew Dragon Demo-2 flight, which lifted off on 30 May, also marked the first manned mission to launch from US soil in nine years.

After a 19-hour flight, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, the NASA astronauts, travelling aboard the Crew Dragon capsule, docked successfully with the International Space Station (ISS).

“It’s been 18 years working towards this goal. It’s really hard to believe that it’s happened,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said after the capsule docked. Following this flight, SpaceX launched a further four astronauts (and a Baby Yoda toy) to the ISS in November. Another manned Crew Dragon flight is scheduled for March 2021.