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SpaceX’s first crewed launch: all the updates on the company’s historic mission for NASA

After more than six years of intense development, SpaceX is set to launch its first people to space on the company’s newly developed Crew Dragon capsule. It’s a major flight test for SpaceX as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, an initiative to have private companies — not the government — create new vehicles that can carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

SpaceX’s first two passengers are veteran NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. The duo is set to take off inside SpaceX’s capsule from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, May 30th, at 3:22PM ET. When they do, it’ll mark the first time since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011 that US astronauts have flown to orbit from American soil. It will also be the first time that a privately made vehicle carries people to orbit.

Follow along as The Verge covers all of the updates from this historic flight.

  • Loren Grush

    Jan 19, 2020

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX successfully tests escape system on new spacecraft — while destroying a rocket

    On Sunday morning, SpaceX successfully launched one of its last big flight tests for NASA, a launch that could pave the way for the company to carry passengers into space later this year. The flight tested the emergency escape system on the company’s new passenger spacecraft, and SpaceX destroyed one of its Falcon 9 rockets in the process — on purpose.

    SpaceX was testing its new Crew Dragon capsule, a passenger spacecraft the company is developing for NASA’s Commercial Crew program. This weekend’s test, known as an in-flight abort test, helped to ensure that the Crew Dragon can keep its crew safe in the unlikely event of an emergency, a requirement before NASA will allow astronauts to fly on it. SpaceX mimicked a failed rocket launch, to show that its Crew Dragon can survive and protect its precious inhabitants inside.

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  • Loren Grush

    Jan 16, 2020

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX will destroy one of its rockets in the pursuit of safety this weekend

    A rendering of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon on top of the Falcon 9 rocket
    A rendering of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon on top of the Falcon 9 rocket
    Image: SpaceX

    Update Saturday 18th, 8:14AM ET: The attempt has been rescheduled due to sustained winds and rough seas. It’s now scheduled for a six-hour test window starting at 8:00AM ET on Sunday January 19th.

    Early Saturday morning, SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida that will most likely break apart in midair just a few minutes after takeoff. The rocket’s demise is part of a planned test flight that’s supposed to demonstrate SpaceX’s ability to handle a catastrophic failure of one of its vehicles. If the test goes well, SpaceX will be closer than ever to putting people on its Falcon 9 rocket for the first time this year.

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  • Loren Grush

    Nov 20, 2019

    Loren Grush

    Watch SpaceX fire up the emergency engines on its new crew spacecraft

    Image: NASA / SpaceX

    Last week, SpaceX fired up the engines on its new passenger spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, during a ground test, and now, you can watch the fiery show in all its slow-motion glory. Today, NASA released footage from the test, marking the latest milestone SpaceX reached as the company prepares the capsule for its next flight.

    The engines, known as SuperDracos, are part of the Crew Dragon’s emergency abort system, which will definitely come in handy if anything goes wrong during a future trip to space. The engines are designed to ignite if the rocket carrying the Crew Dragon starts to malfunction. The thrusters will then carry the Crew Dragon to safety, prompting the capsule’s parachutes to deploy and gently lower the capsule into the ocean.

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  • Loren Grush

    Nov 13, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft just fired up its emergency escape engines

    SpaceX

    Today, SpaceX fired up the engines on its new passenger spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, during a ground test in Cape Canaveral, Florida — paving the way for the company to perform a crucial test flight of the vehicle in the months ahead. If that test flight goes well, SpaceX is then poised to fly humans on the Crew Dragon for the first time next year.

    The engines that SpaceX ignited today are part of the Crew Dragon’s emergency abort system — a crucial part of the spacecraft that will activate if there’s ever a catastrophe during launch. The Crew Dragon is designed to travel into space on top of one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, but if for some reason that rocket fails in mid-air, the emergency engines embedded in the hull of the spacecraft will ignite and carry the capsule away to safety. The capsule would then land using its own parachutes.

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  • Loren Grush

    Oct 10, 2019

    Loren Grush

    Elon Musk and NASA administrator claim SpaceX could fly its first crew in the first part of 2020

    NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine (L) and Elon Musk (R) at SpaceX’s uncrewed test flight in March
    NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine (L) and Elon Musk (R) at SpaceX’s uncrewed test flight in March
    Image: NASA

    SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine reassured journalists this afternoon that their partnership to fly NASA astronauts to the space station is still strong and that the first crews could launch on SpaceX vehicles as soon as the first quarter of next year. This show of strength at SpaceX headquarters comes just two weeks after the two figures exchanged public jabs in the press, suggesting friction between SpaceX and NASA.

    “Elon and I are in strong agreement on this — that the one thing we have under development that is of the highest priority is launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil,” Bridenstine said during his visit to SpaceX. “Human spaceflight is the reason that SpaceX was created, and we’re incredibly honored to partner with NASA,” Musk said. “And just to make this happen, this is a dream come true, really.”

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  • Loren Grush

    Jul 25, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX just launched a new docking port to the International Space Station

    Update July 25th, 6:15PM ET: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully took off from Cape Canaveral Florida at 6:01PM ET on Thursday, July 25th, putting the Dragon cargo capsule into orbit. The majority of the rocket also touched down on one of SpaceX’s concrete landing pads at the Cape after launch. Now, the Dragon cargo capsule is scheduled to meet up with the space station on Saturday, July 27th.

    Original story: This afternoon, SpaceX is slated to launch its latest cargo mission from Florida for NASA, sending about 5,000 pounds of supplies to the crew on the International Space Station. For this mission, the company is employing a Dragon cargo capsule that’s already been to space twice before. If successful, it’ll be the first time the same Dragon has gone on a third trip to space.

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  • Loren Grush

    Jul 15, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX finally reveals cause of April spacecraft explosion

    SpaceX says it has figured out what caused one of its spacecraft to explode during a ground test in April. A valve accidentally leaked some of the vehicle’s propellant, starting a chain reaction that caused the spacecraft to burst apart. Now that the cause has been identified, SpaceX says it is replacing these parts in all future versions of the vehicle to make sure this explosive leak doesn’t happen again.

    The spacecraft that SpaceX lost was a test version of the company’s Crew Dragon, a capsule that’s being built for NASA to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station. This particular capsule was the very first Crew Dragon that SpaceX had ever launched into space. In March, the vehicle — without a crew — successfully docked with the ISS and then returned back to Earth during a flawless test mission. But during routine tests on the vehicle on April 20th, the capsule violently broke apart and spewed orange gas into the sky.

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  • Loren Grush

    Apr 25, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX is investigating the explosion of its spacecraft as NASA figures out how to move forward

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which launched to the International Space Station in March.
    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which launched to the International Space Station in March.
    Photo: SpaceX

    SpaceX has launched an investigation into what caused the company’s new passenger vehicle, the Crew Dragon, to explode during a test over the weekend, but it’s too early to know how the accident will affect schedules moving forward. Even before the accident occurred, SpaceX had a “large body of work” to complete before it could fly people on the capsule for the first time, according to a NASA advisory panel on safety that met today.

    Five days after the accident, details of what happened are still scarce. But it’s been confirmed that the explosion occurred while SpaceX was firing up some of the engines embedded within its Crew Dragon. The capsule is equipped with eight small thrusters known as SuperDraco engines, which will be crucial in case of an emergency during future flights. If something goes wrong in the middle of a launch, these engines can ignite and carry the Crew Dragon away from a malfunctioning rocket.

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  • Loren Grush

    Apr 20, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX’s new passenger spacecraft suffers failure during engine test

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which flew during its first test flight in March
    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which flew during its first test flight in March
    Image: SpaceX

    On Saturday, a test version of SpaceX’s new passenger spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, suffered from some kind of failure during an engine test at the company’s landing site in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The accident resulted in large plumes of smoke rising from the company’s facility on the Florida coast, according to Florida Today. NASA astronauts were supposed to take their first flight on the spacecraft in July.

    “Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of engine tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” a SpaceX spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. “The initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand.” The event is now under control, and no one sustained any injuries, the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing tells Florida Today, which oversees launches out of Cape Canaveral.

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  • Loren Grush

    Mar 8, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon splashes down in the Atlantic, bringing its first crucial test flight to an end

    On Friday morning, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after spending nearly a week at the International Space Station. The plunge brings the spacecraft’s first test flight to an end. With the splashdown, SpaceX has proven its capsule can survive the harrowing journey to space and back, and that means the company has just made a significant leap forward in its quest to put people on the Crew Dragon someday.

    The splashdown marks the last major milestone of SpaceX’s Demonstration-1 or DM-1 mission, a critical test flight required for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. That’s the agency’s initiative aimed at sending NASA astronauts to space on private US spacecraft. SpaceX has been developing the Crew Dragon as a new passenger vehicle for the program. But before the vehicle can carry people, NASA wanted to see the Crew Dragon prove itself in space without anyone on board. So DM-1 was created as a way for NASA to evaluate the capsule’s performance and figure out what needs changing before astronauts can board.

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  • Loren Grush

    Mar 7, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has proved itself in space — now it has to get back to Earth in one piece

    The first ever test flight of SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule will come to an end tomorrow, when the spacecraft detaches from the International Space Station and attempts to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean using a suite of parachutes. This is the last major milestone of the capsule’s mission — and perhaps the biggest challenge the Crew Dragon faces yet.

    The vehicle needs to prove its novel shape and parachute system can survive the plunge through Earth’s atmosphere in one piece, while keeping its inner cargo safe. There won’t be any living passengers inside Crew Dragon when it makes its descent tomorrow. But as a vital part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX’s vehicle will be tasked with transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS in the years ahead. And it will of course have to bring them back to Earth safely afterward.

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  • Loren Grush

    Mar 3, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully docks to the ISS for the first time

    The Crew Dragon approaching the ISS Sunday morning
    The Crew Dragon approaching the ISS Sunday morning
    Image: NASA

    Just a day after launching to orbit, SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule automatically docked to a port on the International Space Station this morning — a critical part of its current test flight. This docking maneuver is something the capsule will have to do routinely in the future, when it starts transporting astronauts to and from the ISS.

    The Crew Dragon has been in orbit since around 3AM ET Saturday, when it was launched into space on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once it reached orbit, the tip of the gumdrop-shaped capsule pivoted open, exposing the capsule’s docking mechanism underneath. As the Crew Dragon approached the station on Sunday, it then used a series of lasers, sensors, and software to automatically dock this hardware to an available port on the outside of the ISS.

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  • Loren Grush

    Mar 2, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX launches its new Crew Dragon capsule for the first time, paving the way for passenger flights

    Early Saturday morning, SpaceX successfully launched its new Crew Dragon capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida — the start of a milestone test needed to certify the vehicle for carrying passengers.

    Mounted on top of one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, the Crew Dragon soared into space at 2:49AM ET and deployed into orbit just 11 minutes later. Following takeoff, SpaceX then landed its Falcon 9 on one of the company’s drone ships in the Atlantic — the company’s 35th successful landing overall. The capsule, now in orbit around Earth, will attempt to dock with the International Space Station early tomorrow morning. It’s the ultimate dress rehearsal for how the capsule will someday bring NASA astronauts to the orbiting lab.

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  • Loren Grush

    Feb 28, 2019

    Loren Grush

    SpaceX is set to launch a crucial test flight for NASA this weekend

    An artistic rendering of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launching on a Falcon 9 rocket
    An artistic rendering of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launching on a Falcon 9 rocket
    Image: SpaceX

    In the wee morning hours of Saturday, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to take to the skies over Florida, propelling a gumdrop-shaped spacecraft to the International Space Station. The rocket’s payload is SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule — the company’s very first vehicle designed to carry people to space.

    Though the capsule is meant for passengers, no one will be on board for this trip. That’s because this flight is, at heart, a test. The mission, called Demonstration-1 or DM-1, is meant to show NASA that the Crew Dragon is space-worthy and safe for future human crew members.

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