SpaceX is ready to make space history with its first astronaut launch for NASA next week

[LazyHippo]

No showstoppers were found during a crucial flight readiness review (FRR) for SpaceX's Demo-2 mission, keeping the company's first-ever crewed flight on track for a May 27 liftoff, NASA officials announced today (May 22). 
"The Flight Readiness Review has concluded, and NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission is cleared to proceed toward liftoff on the first crewed flight of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program," NASA officials wrote in an update today.
 

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule sits ready for launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Wednesday (May 27), two NASA astronauts will launch to the International Space Station for the first crewed test flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket reached the launch site on Thursday (May 21).
(Image: © SpaceX)

 

Demo-2 will send NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
The mission will be the first orbital human spaceflight to depart from American soil since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet in July 2011. Ever since then, the space agency has relied completely on Russian Soyuz rockets and spacecraft to get its astronauts to and from the orbiting lab.
NASA is counting on SpaceX and Boeing to end that dependence. In 2014, the agency awarded SpaceX $2.6 billion to finish development of the Crew Dragon-Falcon 9 system and fly six operational crewed missions to the ISS. Boeing got a similar, $4.2 billion deal at the same time, which the aerospace company will fulfill using a capsule called CST-100 Starliner.

 

 

"It was an excellent review," NASA associate administrator Steve Jurczyk said during a teleconference with reporters today. "There are no significant open issues, I am happy to report."

But there are still some boxes to tick before Demo-2 can get off the ground. For example, this afternoon, SpaceX will conduct a "static fire" of the Falcon 9 that will launch the mission, testing out its first-stage engines while the rocket remains tethered to the ground. And tomorrow (May 23), the teams will hold a "dry dress" exercise, during which Behnken and Hurley will suit up and the teams will run through many of the procedures that will occur on launch day.
Data from these two tests, as well as other information, will then be analyzed in detail on Monday (May 25) during a final launch readiness review.

"We're going to stay vigilant over the next few days," Kathy Lueders, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, said during today's telecon. "We're going to take it one step at a time, and we're going to still fly when we're ready."

 

 

Videos and more: https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-go-for-launch.html

[Xernicus]

The company I used to work for is responsible for the oxygen modules for the capsule. Proud to say that all are working 100%! All were independently tested under ISO 50001 standards.
Here's to a successful launch!

Edited May 23, 2020 by Xernicus
forgot a zero

[Tm775]

Super excited for this. Love the look of the new suits as well, very modern.

 

Its crazy that Dragon 2 can hold 7 people inside. Does not look nearly large enough

[leonard65]

I`d like to add a few words about Space X and the Starlink internet. Till September 2021 Space X is gonna cover the whole planet with a Starlink internet connection and it's gonna launch 42 thousand of satellites. How do you relate to the number of satellites in the orbit of Earth? Also, I`ve heard that big number of sats will be launched with the help of Starship

[RedBaird]

Mini-Sats, aka Teeny-Tiny Sats, the size of shoe-boxes?  We Humans have come a long way since Sputnik!  🚀 🌎

[leonard65]

2 hours ago, RedBaird said:

Mini-Sats, aka Teeny-Tiny Sats, the size of shoe-boxes?  We Humans have come a long way since Sputnik!  🚀 🌎

So... technology is not staying still. It`s advancing with a huge speed. Those sats are very functional despite their size. There is one drawback, these sats do not have a long lifespan so they increase space junk, however this issue must be solved soon

[leonard65]

There are also different kinds of them. I like the one that take part in environmental preservation campaign and observe the land. For instance, I`ve got private space company that manufactures them https://dragonflyaerospace.com/tag/cubesats/

[RedBaird]

2 hours ago, leonard65 said:

do not have a long lifespan so they increase space junk

 

Oh, yes.  

[leonard65]

On 7/22/2021 at 8:23 PM, RedBaird said:

 

Oh, yes.  

Great solution was made by Space X. Starlink sats will have a self-disposal funktion. Long story short, when the time of the usage of satellites comes to the end, they will be able to lead themself to the atmosphere of Earth and burn there in order not to increase the number of space junk

[RedBaird]

7 hours ago, leonard65 said:

atmosphere of Earth and burn there

 

What Great News!   Maybe the future ones can collect nuts & screws to take with them down to burn up.  😄

[leonard65]

18 hours ago, RedBaird said:

 

What Great News!   Maybe the future ones can collect nuts & screws to take with them down to burn up.  😄

I guess, these sats will not be able to collect all screws and nuts in space:)) but still, they will not increase the number of space junk in the orbit of Earth.

[RedBaird]

I can dream, can't I?  😄 

[leonard65]

I wanna say a few words about NASA. ESA and NASA are going to make a partnership in the environmental project. The first-ever partnership of its kind is based on observing Earth and environmental issues. This campaign will be based on observing the Earth from space with the help of satellite technology in order to save the environment on Earth. Such kind of stuff will be observed like coral reefs, glaciers, and other things that are in danger now.

[RedBaird]

On 7/22/2021 at 8:17 AM, leonard65 said:

I`ve got private space company that manufactures them https://dragonflyaerospace.com/tag/cubesats/

 

That is a company based in South Africa, but there is no "Leonard" on their staff page.  

 

@leonard65 has been behaving in a rather spambot-like fashion here, but has replied to posts in a human-like manner, so I guess that the "jury is still out". 😄 

 

We might normally regard Leonard's posts as advertisements, but there seems to be no fraud involved.