An unmanned rocket was launched on Saturday by SpaceX. The rocket’s destination is the International Space Station. The launch is viewed by many as a key milestone for both SpaceX and NASA in their quest to resume human space travel from the United States later in 2019.
The 16 foot Crew Dragon capsule was lifted into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch took place from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch happened at 2:49 A.M. and carried a dummy named Ripley into space.
The capsule separated from the Falcon 9 rocket eleven minutes after launch. The cheers from the control room were deafening upon sight of the successful separation.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of SpaceX, says he did not think highly of his company’s prospects for success when he began the company in 2002. He says he understood the likelihood of failure and considered the prospects of one day achieving a successful orbit to be about ten percent. Musk admitted to being emotionally exhausted after the successful launch of the rocket.
A three-member crew awaits the capsule at the space station. The capsule will deliver 400 pounds of test equipment and supplies to the station.
The Crew Dragon will remain at the space station for five days. During this time Anne McClain, an astronaut from the United States, and David Saint-Jacques of Canada will inspect the capsule’s cabin and run a battery of tests.
Both Boeing and SpaceX have been awarded $6.7 billion by NASA and are competing to build rocket systems that will carry astronauts into space from America for the first time since 2011 retirement of the Space Shuttle program.
The launch systems are desired by NASA to end the reliance of the United States on Russian rockets to travel to and from the orbital research laboratory. The laboratory hovers about 250 miles above the earth and rides on the Russian rocket system costs $80 million apiece.
Saturday’s SpaceX launch is a huge step forward for the program which has experienced a number of delays. However, NASA still has concerns regarding its goals of a manned flight later this calendar year.
Earlier reports stated that both Boeing and SpaceX must address serious concerns before attempting to fly humans into space.
Musk tweeted a photo of the inside of the Crew Dragon on Friday. Ripley was strapped inside the capsule. The spacesuit worn by Ripley was outfitted with special sensors to provide information on how the spaceflight would feel to a human.
