The US wants to send manned flights back to the International Space Station (ISS) and no longer be dependent on Russia. The private company SpaceX today launched an unmanned test flight.
Doll on board
The new spacecraft „Crew Dragon“ lifted in the morning (CET) from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, as shown by live images of the US space agency NASA. It will dock with the ISS tomorrow. There are no people on board, just a doll.
The flight is an important step for the United States on the way to manned missions by the company SpaceX by Tesla founder Elon Musk. Since the US Space Agency’s USA shuttle program ended in 2011, US astronauts have been flying Russian Soyuz capsules to the ISS. In the future, the US intends to invest in private companies for manned flights into space in order to use its own capacities for missions such as the Moon and Mars.
NASA Chief: „New Chapter of American Excellence“
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine wrote after launching on the short message service Twitter: „Today’s successful launch marks a new chapter of American excellence and brings us to fly US astronauts again with American rockets.“
According to NASA, the test flight is designed to ensure that the spacecraft and its systems work as planned „before we get the crew on board.“ The doll, equipped with sensors, will determine the conditions for future spacemen on board. The space freighter has room for seven people.
