The Return of Dragon: New Era for Human Spaceflight

On May 30, 2020, NASA’s Space X Demo 2 test flight was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. A Space X Falcon rocket carrying the company’s crew Dragon spacecraft was launched from complex 39A to the International Space Station with two NASA astronauts Robert Behnken (Bob) and Dough Hurley (Doug) on board as a part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The mission has been successful with the return of the Crew Dragon Capsule which splashed down under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Aug 2, 2020. Astronauts Bob and Doug had nearly 19 hours of flight in the Dragon capsule from ISS to Earth. After reaching orbit, the astronauts named their crew Dragon spacecraft “Endeavour” as a tribute to the first space shuttle each astronaut had flown aboard. The mission was an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, docking, and landing operations.

Bob and Doug during their 62 days aboard International space station undertook a number of scientific experiments, spacewalks, and public engagements events. As per the information by NASA, the astronauts spent overall 64 days in orbit, completed 1024 orbits around Earth, and traveled 27,147,284 statute miles. More than 100 hours contributed by the two astronauts to support the orbiting laboratory’s investigations. Numerous scientific experiments to name a few such as Droplet Formation Study inside of the Microgravity Science Glovebox, Capillary Structures investigation and Electrolysis Measurement experiments were conducted while their days in ISS.

“ Go Dragon, Go NASA, Go SpaceX, got speed Bob and Doug! America has launched!” Words one could hear from the NASA center at the time of Launch. Indeed an incredible work by NASA and SpaceX teams. “This is a Dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX,” said Elon Musk, chief engineer at SpaceX. “It is the culmination of an incredible amount of work by Space X teams, NASA, and by a number of other partners in the process of making this happen.

It is a new era of human spaceflight since the 2011 Space Shuttle Program, American astronauts once again launched on an American Rocket from American Soil to low earth orbit & International Space Station as said by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein. For the first time, NASA astronauts have launched in a commercially built and operated American Crew spacecraft. The launch and successful return of the spacecraft is a phenomenal demonstration of American excellence.

The Demo 2 mission was the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to certify Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station. This certification and regular operation of Crew Dragon will now enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations onboard the station. Further, the mission has laid the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024 as per the information available by NASA.

This launch could bring the dawn of space tourism, hoping to send private citizens to space soon.

Source: NASA

Photo Courtesy: NASA