Following a delay to Thursday’s scheduled launch, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket tomorrow for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission.
Behnken and Hurley have joined the Expedition 63 crew on the ISS. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
Upon conclusion of the mission, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the two astronauts on board, depart the space station and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
Upon splashdown just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery vessel and return to Cape Canaveral.
The Demo-2 mission will be the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program certifies Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station.