A model of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was displayed during a media tour of SpaceX's headquarters and rocket factory in Hawthorne, California.
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A model of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was displayed during a media tour of SpaceX's headquarters and rocket factory in Hawthorne, California.
Tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX vowed Monday to send its first astronauts into orbit on schedule next year, part of an effort to restore American dominance in the space race.
Gwynne Shotwell, president of the aerospace manufacturer, told reporters in Los Angeles that an uncrewed flight to the International Space Station in November would pave the way for a crewed mission in April 2019.
“Predicting a launch date could make me a liar more than any of us. I hope I am not proven a liar in this case,” she said.
NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 as part of its Commercial Crew Program, which aims to help private companies build spacecraft to reach low Earth orbit.
On August 3, NASA announced the first nine astronauts who will fly on Boeing and SpaceX spacecraft in 2019, ranging from newbies to veterans.
SpaceX's test crew members include shuttle veterans Bob Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Douglas Hurley, along with spaceflight novice Naval aviator Victor Glover.
The flight to the ISS will be the first to leave U.S. territory and send humans into orbit since the iconic Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.
For seven years, NASA astronauts have traveled to the orbital outpost aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a cost of about $80 million per seat.
(From left) Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover, NASA astronauts selected for the Commercial Crew Program aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
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(From left) Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover, NASA astronauts selected for the Commercial Crew Program aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
A US government report released in July said SpaceX will not be able to send astronauts to the ISS next year.
But Shotwell said the mission would take place “as soon as SpaceX is ready to get these people there safely.”
“Then we want to make sure not only do we get these people home safely, but that it's reliable and can complete our mission,” she added.
“We want to do everything necessary and meet all the conditions to demonstrate that this spacecraft is capable of carrying astronauts from U.S. territory as frequently as NASA will allow.”
SpaceX revealed its astronauts, dressed in blue overalls and smiling proudly in front of the module they will transport to the ISS, and answered questions from the press.
SpaceX's spacesuits will be worn by NASA astronauts when they travel to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
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SpaceX's spacesuits will be worn by NASA astronauts traveling to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
“It's a 'once in a generation' opportunity to fly an airplane for the first time as a test pilot, so of course I'm very grateful,” Hurley said.
“But I would also say we still have a lot of work to do.”
