[Summary] US Launches First Private Manned Spacecraft...Space Opened to Private Sector

Private Company Sends NASA Astronaut to Space
Manned Spacecraft Launched from the US for the First Time in 9 Years

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The first private manned spacecraft carrying two astronauts from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully headed to space on the 30th (local time).

SpaceX launched the manned spacecraft 'Crew Dragon' at 3:22 PM from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This launch, named 'Launch America,' was recorded as the first private manned spacecraft and the first manned spacecraft launched from American soil in nine years. Since NASA ended the Space Shuttle program in 2011, it has been preparing for the era of private spacecraft by contracting with SpaceX and Boeing.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying Crew Dragon was launched successfully. About 10 minutes after launch, Crew Dragon separated from the rocket and began its spaceflight to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). The Falcon 9 rocket, the launch vehicle, landed safely at the designated landing site. SpaceX has previously succeeded in reusing launch vehicles.

Crew Dragon carried NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (53) and Robert Behnken (49), who are scheduled to dock with the ISS, orbiting 400 km above Earth, 19 hours later. Hurley is responsible for the launch and return of Crew Dragon, while Behnken is in charge of the docking mission. If they succeed in docking with the ISS, they will stay on the ISS for up to four months to conduct research missions and other tasks.

Notably, Hurley will set a historic record by being the pilot of the first private spacecraft flight following his participation in the last U.S. space shuttle Atlantis mission in July 2011.

Unlike previous manned spacecraft, Crew Dragon operates via touchscreen instead of buttons, and the astronauts wear sleek-shaped spacesuits tailored to the spacecraft's interior space.

NASA has emphasized that this launch represents "sending American astronauts on an American rocket launched from American soil." Since ending the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the U.S. had sent its astronauts to space aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.

President Donald Trump visited Kennedy Space Center on the day to witness the launch in person. After watching the launch on site, President Trump said it was "incredible."