A new era in space travel is set to begin this weekend, with SpaceX ‘first task force flight scheduled for the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA Uses Elon Muskin The space company flew its crew into a “taxi service” ISS, A large spacecraft in orbit around the Earth.
Three American astronauts and a Japanese colleague from Jaxa are scheduled to take off in Florida at 7.49pm on Saturday (12.49am on Sunday) UK time. Their mission will last six months.
The launch was supposed to be on October 31, but was delayed due to an “unexpected” problem with the rocket.
It is SpaceX’s second spacecraft to NASA, following the successful launch of Demo 2 in May.
Mr Muskin’s made history six months ago as the first private company to send humans into orbit.
American astronauts Robert Behanken and Douglas Hurley Demonstrates the ability to make the SpaceX crew safer as part of a two-month journey to the space station.
Earlier this week, the US space agency confirmed the approval SpaceX Go with the Crew Dragon Capsule and the Falcon 9 Rocket Astronauts.
This made SpaceX the first commercial human space travel system.
Mr Musk said in a statement: “This is a great honor. It inspires hope in our efforts to return to the moon, travel to Mars and eventually help mankind become more planets.”
NASA Administrator Jim Friedenstein said: “I am very proud to say that we are returning to regular human spaceflight on American soil with an American rocket and spacecraft.”
NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Clover and Shannon Walker, and Sochi Nokuchi of Japan will also travel to the space station on the Crew Dragon capsule.
Once the rocket lifts off, it splits into a first stage and a second stage.
The first phase will proceed from Florida to the SpaceX landing ship, and the second will continue the voyage with the capsule.
Then in orbit, the capsule separates from the second phase and enters the ISS.
Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX at a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center in May
The project will save the agency considerable money, as it will cost the astronaut $ 55 million (m 40 million) more than the 90m (m 67m) charged by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The astronauts will spend six months in the orbit space laboratory, conducting scientific experiments and performing various tasks.
Bomber from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and then arrive aboard the space station at 4.20am on Sunday (9.20am UK time).
NASA spacecraft views International Space Station (ISS) from Endeavor
(LR) Bob Behanken and Doug Hurley
The astronauts will join the other three ISS – NASA’s Kate Rubins and Russia’s Sergei Raishikov and Sergei Kut-Sverkov as part of the Expedition 64 crew.
Meanwhile, Boeing, another taxi service hired by NASA, is not expected to fly its first crew until next summer.
