After years of development and delays, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is ready to launch into orbit. It’s the first commercially built and operated crewed spacecraft ever to do so, and represents in many ways the public-private partnership that could define the future of spaceflight.
Launch is set for just before midnight Pacific time — 2:49 Eastern time in Cape Canaveral, where the Falcon 9 carrying the Crew Dragon capsule will take off from. It’s using Launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, which previously hosted Apollo missions and more recently SpaceX’s momentous Falcon Heavy launch. Feel free to relive that moment with us, while you’re here:
The capsule has been the work of many years and billions of dollars: an adaptation of the company’s Dragon capsule, but with much of its cargo space converted to a spacious crew compartment. It can seat seven if necessary but given the actual needs of the International Space Station, it is more likely to carry 2 or 3 people and a load of supplies.
Of course it had to meet extremely stringent safety requirements, with an emergency escape system, redundant thrusters and parachutes, newly designed spacesuits, more intuitive and modern …read more
Source:: TechCrunch Gadgets
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