SpaceX released a video demonstrating how the first manned mission in the company’s history will go. The launch is scheduled for spring 2020.
Using the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the Dragon 2 spaceship (aka Crew Dragon) will be launched with astronauts Robert Benken and Douglas Hurley on board. After a successful docking with the ISS, the ship will return the crew to Earth, making a soft landing using a parachute system.
Elon Musk said that in February the ship will be fully ready for flight and will be delivered to Cape Canaveral. However, the launch itself will be carried out in the spring, as additional time is required to check all security systems.
Before the manned flight, SpaceX carried out 10 tests of the emergency astronaut rescue system, so there should not be any problems with this.
If Elon Musk wins another victory, this will be the first manned US flight since 2011 after the closure of the Space Shuttle program.
By the way, Boeing is returning to the game, as their Starliner spaceship, which could not dock to the ISS, turned out to be serviceable and only the flight time calculation system failed. The ship, which returned to Earth, was examined by independent experts who gave a green light to restart.
