NASA granted SpaceX the privilege Green light To transfer four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) next week after completing an official flight readiness review. The liftoff will go ahead as planned on April 22 at 6:11 a.m. ET at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch of the highly anticipated Crew Dragon is the first step in Elon Musk’s space project. It’s not just the crew’s first flight to use recycled Falcon-Dragons, he said Phys.orgAnd But it is also a first with two international partners. The Falcon 9 rocket has the same first stage Launched Astronauts to the International Space Station in November, while the capsule (named Endeavor) Download NASA Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley To and from the space station last spring.
Both are reusable and are part of the larger range of the SpaceX spacecraft. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage missile designed to carry payloads and manned spacecraft into orbit. It features the same Merlin engine as the larger engine Falcon Heavy It was used in a total of 122 launches. The Naga is a capsule equipped with 16 Draco thrusters for maneuvering in orbit and a number of parachutes to re-enter and land.
This time, astronaut missions include Shane Kembra and Megan MacArthur, along with Akihiko Hoshid of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. They will spend six months on the International Space Station and replace the first four crew members who return home.
All that’s left is to fix a minor problem before the target launch. SpaceX Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier said the company noticed that slightly more liquid oxygen fuel was being pumped into the first-stage tank than they had realized. Engineers today ensure that variants do not pose a safety risk. If the problem is resolved as planned, the astronauts will have to leave on schedule and dock at the station on the morning of April 23. You will be able to watch the launch live NASA TV.
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