NASA Astronauts Robert Behken and Douglas Hurley aboard the Crew Dragon arrived at ISS (International Space Station) this morning.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on Saturday 30 May 2020 at around 3:22pm Eastern. The Crew Dragon spacecraft separated 12 minutes later after achieving low Earth orbit. The Crew Dragon were accelerated to around 27000 Km/h and orbited the Earth for 19 hours before docking.
The Crew Dragon’s docking showcased one of the biggest features of SpaceX’s capsule: its automated docking system. The vehicle is designed to autonomously approach the ISS and latch on to a standardized docking port, without any input from its human passengers.
“I’m really quite overcome with emotion,” … “It’s been 18 years working towards this goal. It’s hard to believe that’s happened.”
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, who founded the company in 2002
It’s a big moment for SpaceX, as it’ll mark the first time a private company has ever sent people into orbit. And with this launch taking place from Florida, it’ll be the first time in nearly a decade that people have launched to orbit from American soil since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.