NASA certifies SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 to carry astronauts to space

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience for NASA SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission Credits: SpaceX

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, the Resilience, and its Falcon 9 rocket to carry astronauts into space.

This is the first NASA approval of a U.S. spacecraft developed by a private company. The certification which also served as a “Flight Readiness Review” for the mission known as “Crew-1,” is a historic step in the already powerful partnership between the federal agency and Elon Musk’s, SpaceX.

The Crew Dragon capsule powered by the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for a liftoff on Saturday, November 14.

According to NASA officials, four astronauts will be riding in the capsule. They include NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker as well as Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi. 

They will be headed out to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 6-month mission that involves conducting research, experiments, and performing maintenance tasks. 

The historic launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida can be live-streamed from NASA Live.

A historic partnership in Space

In a statement, Musk expressed his gratitude to NASA for its “continued support of SpaceX and partnership in achieving this goal.”