The first SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket are on the launch pad of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 39A at Cape Canaveral (Florida) during a test before the first demo flight. Date moved to February 2019
NASA representatives said on January 10 that the first unmanned test flights of the new Crew Dragon crew of SpaceX will begin no earlier than February. The flight, called Demo-1, was supposed to start on January 17 after it was moved from January 7. New date chosen to complete the testing equipment and a joint review.
NASA and SpaceX must confirm the final date after coordination with the Eastern Range and the International Space Station program.
NASA did not mention whether the suspension of the government’s work affected the postponement of the date. The mission of Demo-1 marks the first test flight of a crew spacecraft, which ultimately must deliver NASA astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX is one of two companies that have signed contracts with NASA for the transportation of crew members. The second is Boeing, which plans to conduct tests for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft at the end of 2019. The mission of Demo-1 will pass automatically without people on board. The ship must arrive at the orbital station. NASA astronauts Robert Benken and Douglas Hurley should participate in Demo-2. SpaceX representatives have reported that they have already launched a spacecraft to the launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for a trial launch.
NASA is still dependent on Russian spacecraft, which have been delivering astronauts to the ISS since 2011, after the completion of the 30-year program of space shuttles. SpaceX and Boeing projects will allow crew launches from US territory to be resumed.
