{"id":12640,"date":"2020-02-14T18:09:55","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T10:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacexs-crew-dragon-delivered-to-cape-canaveral-for-first-flight-with-astronauts\/"},"modified":"2020-02-14T18:09:55","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T10:09:55","slug":"spacexs-crew-dragon-delivered-to-cape-canaveral-for-first-flight-with-astronauts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacexs-crew-dragon-delivered-to-cape-canaveral-for-first-flight-with-astronauts\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon delivered to Cape Canaveral for first flight with astronauts"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: <\/strong>Updated Feb. 15 after NASA modified original statement to remove words saying SpaceX will be the first commercial crew provider to fly astronauts.<\/p>\n

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SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft that will deliver astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station has arrived at Cape Canaveral for launch preparations. Credit: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX\u2019s next Crew Dragon capsule was delivered to Cape Canaveral this week from a California factory for a liftoff as soon as this spring with veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on a test flight to the International Space Station, officials announced Friday.<\/p>\n

The human-rated spaceship arrived at a test and processing facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday following a cross-country trip from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.<\/p>\n

SpaceX tweeted a photo of the crew capsule Friday, showing ground teams wearing lab coats and hair nets rolling the capsule into position on a wheeled trolley soon after arriving on Florida\u2019s Space Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for its first crew launch from American soil has arrived at the launch site,\u201d NASA said in a statement. \u201cNASA and SpaceX are preparing for the company\u2019s first flight test with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a previous version of the statement Friday, NASA said the Crew Dragon will be the first spacecraft to launch astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011, when the space shuttle was retired.<\/p>\n

But the space agency updated the statement without explanation, and deleted a tweet from the commercial crew program\u2019s Twitter account that said SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft will be the first to fly astronauts into orbit from U.S. soil since 2011.<\/p>\n

In 2014, NASA tapped Boeing and SpaceX with contracts valued at $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, to develop, test and fly commercial human-rated spacecraft designed to ferry astronauts to and from the space station.<\/p>\n

Barring a major setback, SpaceX is widely expected to be ready to fly astronauts before Boeing.<\/p>\n

The Crew Dragon spacecraft will lift off on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, the same departure point as the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, and the first and last space shuttle flights.<\/p>\n

Hurley, a pilot on two space shuttle missions, will serve as vehicle commander on the Crew Dragon test flight, known as Demo-2. Behnken, also a veteran of two shuttle flights, will be the vehicle pilot.<\/p>\n

NASA officials are considering launch dates in May for the Demo-2 mission, but the schedule could shift as SpaceX steps through launch preparations. The space station\u2019s busy schedule of visiting crew and cargo vehicles could also change, forcing a shift in the Demo-2 launch date.<\/p>\n

Another factor that could drive the Demo-2 launch schedule is additional training for Hurley and Behnken in case NASA extends their stay on the space station.<\/p>\n

The first piloted missions aboard the Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner spacecraft were originally designed as shorter-duration test flights lasting days or weeks. After the test flights, NASA intended to certify the two spacecraft for longer-duration missions lasting up to 210 days for regular crew rotation flights to the space station.<\/p>\n

But delays in the readiness of the new commercial crew spaceships forced NASA to consider extending the duration of the test flights. NASA has purchased seats on Russian Soyuz capsules flying to the station, which have provided the only ride to the orbiting research complex for U.S. astronauts since 2011.<\/p>\n

The last Soyuz mission with a seat currently under NASA\u2019s control launches April 9 and returns to Earth in October. With reduced demand from NASA expected after the start of SpaceX and Boeing crew services, Russia slowed the manufacturing of new Soyuz vehicles.<\/p>\n

But the Crew Dragon and Starliner spacecraft were not ready when NASA expected. The space station typically has a crew of six, but with the slower rate of Soyuz launches, the research lab will operate with a crew of three for most of 2020, at least until a U.S. vehicle arrives with reinforcements.<\/p>\n

The space agency has approved an extension of the first crewed Starliner mission to last up to six months. NASA may also approve a months-long extension of the Crew Dragon\u2019s Demo-2 mission to ensure the space station is staffed with more than three crew members.<\/p>\n

That gives station managers more flexibility in planning repairs and scientific research.<\/p>\n

Hurley and Behnken are training to live and work aboard the station in case NASA authorizes the astronauts to stay in orbit longer than initially planned. Hurley is training as a robotic arm operator, and Behnken is receiving refreshed training on spacewalks.<\/p>\n