SpaceX launches Crew Dragon for the first time

On March 2, the SpaceX passenger spacecraft Crew Dragon from SpaceX will be launched into space for the first time in test mode. The starting point of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle will be the complex No. 39 of the Kennedy Space Center and the final point will be the International Space Station.

The first mission of the spacecraft for the transport of people is called SpaceX Demo-1. It starts NASA's work with individual companies that specialize in sending passengers into space. If the launch goes well, the next time the device is already delivering astronauts to the ISS. In the meantime, Crew Dragon will fly without people on board.

So far, only Dragon cargo ships are flying from the US into orbit, for which Falcon 9 launch vehicles are also being used. A new mission for launching a passenger ship assumes that important movements of the aircraft will be worked out and tested. For example, how docking and monitoring of the state of the environment will be carried out.

Also, a demo-start will allow you to check avionic systems, test communication channels, telemetry, the operation of electrical circuits and solar batteries. The most important thing during the flight is to work out the moment of docking of the aircraft and the station itself, as well as to check all security systems, in particular, the ability to save astronauts in emergency mode.

According to the preliminary plan, Crew Dragon will go into orbit ten minutes after launch, and in a day will dock with the International Space Station. The ship will fly there not only for the sake of testing systems: it will deliver a payload weighing 180 kilograms (equipment and foodstuffs) to the ISS. Crew Dragon will also take scientific samples from the station, which they will bring back to our planet on March 8 - the ship must land in the Atlantic Ocean.

If the Crew Dragon unmanned tests are completed successfully, the mission with the participation of pilots can take place in the summer of 2019. A live broadcast on how to prepare for the Crew Dragon test flight can be seen on the NASA channel. The launch of Crew Dragon in unmanned mode will take place on March 2 at 10:48 Moscow time.

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