On January 24, 2019, in the Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, Florida), during tests, SpaceX activated the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, on which the crew ship Crew Dragon was installed
The company SpaceX activated the rocket, which next month will send the first crew spacecraft Crew Dragon in a test flight. On January 24, the Falcon 9 rocket briefly ignited 9 first-stage engines, remaining on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A (Cape Canaveral, Florida).
The static fire test was successful and now the first demonstration flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is to take place in February. However, SpaceX has not yet announced the exact date, although they indicate that this will happen on earlier February 23.
Initially, the flight Demo-1 was prepared for January. But it had to be postponed due to problems with the schedule and the need to additionally check the equipment. This will be the first test flight for a SpaceX crew capsule. It is important to note that since 2012, the company has been using the Dragon cargo model to send cargo to the International Space Station. The crew option includes life support systems, launching systems, solar panels and other improvements.
The CEO and founder of SpaceX, Ilon Mask, wrote on Twitter that the first real launch with astronauts could happen in the summer of 2019, if test flights go as planned. The company signed a contract with NASA for $ 2.6 billion in 2014. Now SpaceX is committed to providing a valid crew space ship. Boeing also has a contract ($ 4.2 billion) developing the CST-100 Starliner model.
