Elon Musk launches 'taxi to Earth orbit': how this historical mission can change the world

On the evening of May 27, a SpaceX manned spacecraft will be launched to the ISS from the United States - an event that the American space industry has been waiting for almost 10 years. Edition with the BBC told what you should know about this mission and why it is so important for the space industry - and not just the American one.

Photo: Shutterstock

On Wednesday, around 16:30 p.m. New York, a Falcon 9 rocket will fly from the launch pad in Florida to launch the SpaceX Crew Dragon manned orbit.

There will be two American astronauts on board - 49-year-old Robert Behnken and 53-year-old Douglas Hurley. Two weeks ago, both were sent to quarantine - although the coronavirus was not found in them, NASA fears that the astronauts will bring the disease to the ISS.

The launch of the ship is planned to be personally visited by US President Donald Trump, while ordinary viewers will be able to watch the launch only in Live.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, NASA decided to keep spectators out of the observation deck of the Kennedy Space Center.

Goodbye Russia

Since 2011, when the United States closed the Space Shuttle program, the country has been without its own manned spacecraft. American astronauts could actually only get on board the ISS in one way - on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

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The problem is not only that it hit the international prestige of the United States, but also that Russian services cost NASA not cheap: they had to pay a lot of money for sending.

At the same time, Russia has constantly increased prices until the cost of sending just one astronaut is about $90 million dollars - about 4 times more than 10 years ago.

But the use of SpaceX ships is estimated to cost the Americans only $ 55 million per seat.

The refusal of the Americans to use Soyuz will, in fact, become a new page in the American space industry and the end of dependence on Russia. But for the Russian Federation, experts are already predicting problems: the state corporation Roscosmos may lose a significant part of its income.

The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, has already accused NASA and SpaceX of dumping and in response announced a reduction in the cost of Russian launches by 30%.

What Crew Dragon Looks Like

However, the difference between Crew Dragon and Soyuz lies not only in the cost of the flight. The ship was created in such a way that the flight in it would be as comfortable as possible for the astronauts.

The capsule has four windows through which the crew will be able to observe the Earth and other objects without leaving their seats. The seats are made of carbon fiber and Alcantara, a textile material similar to suede.

The ship is partially controlled by touch screens: on them astronauts will be able to see information about the position of the ship, the distance to the destination, conditions overboard and the like.

The ship is also equipped with climate control so that the crew can set a comfortable temperature for themselves.

You can control the Crew Dragon both from the ship itself and from the flight control center on Earth.

How will the flight go

It is expected that within 12 minutes after launch, Crew Dragon will go into orbit, separate from the Falcon 9 booster rocket and continue moving to the ISS, while the first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Earth.

If everything goes according to plan, then on May 28, at about 15:00 New York, the ship will dock with the International Space Station, astronauts will open the hatches and get on board the ISS, where they will be approximately 30 to 110 days.

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How long the Crew Dragon ship itself will be on the ISS is not yet clear, but according to plans, the ship will return with several other astronauts.

If something goes wrong during the launch, the crew will immediately launch an emergency separation from the rocket - Crew Dragon will detach the capsule with the astronauts and land by parachute in one of the certain zones in the Atlantic Ocean, from where the crew will be evacuated.

So that Internet users can understand how the process of connecting Crew Dragon to the ISS will occur, SpaceX released online simulator: everyone can try themselves as a crew member.

Simulator of Crew Dragon docking @space_station → https://t.co/vVqJfnbuNC pic.twitter.com/ZH3bkT0DhM

- SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 12, 2020

Space plans Ilona Mask

It is important that the private structure will be responsible for sending astronauts to the ISS, and NASA, by and large, will act as its client.

Over the past 10 years, NASA has funded two projects - in addition to SpaceX, Boeing also received money from the state. However, it was SpaceX who turned out to be more agile - Boeing will launch its rocket no earlier than the spring of next year.

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NASA's total expenses for both projects have already amounted to more than $ 6 billion, but the agency is confident that in the long term, savings will amount to tens of billions.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has been working towards this milestone of sending people into space since he founded the company in 2002. Now this dream has every chance to come true.

In the event that the launch of Crew Dragon is successful, NASA will approve its use for regular delivery of astronauts to the ISS. Prior to this, SpaceX trusted only the delivery of goods.

SpaceX’s future plans are even larger: in the coming years, the company plans to send tourists into orbit, and in the future, transport people and cargo to Mars.

18 years ago, when he founded SpaceX, Musk called the colonization of Mars the main goal of the new company.

The online broadcast of the launch has not yet begun, but the video where it will be is already available.

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