What is SpaceX
SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with an end goal of enabling people to live on other planets. Before this launch, SpaceX had completed several other milestones in which it was the first to do so.
This was not the first time SpaceX pioneered history.
Some of SpaceX’s achievements are:
- first privately funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit
- first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft
- first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station
- first private spacecraft in history to visit the space station.
- first reflight of an orbital class rocket in the world
- and lastly, it was the first American spacecraft to autonomously dock with the ISS. [1]
How was it historic?
The docking of the Dragon capsule to the ISS was the first time NASA astronauts where launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft. It was also the first time an American spacecraft to autonomously dock with the ISS. The payload for the Dragon were NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. [2]
How will this affect the future?
This shows how far SpaceX has come and that it can achieve its goals of putting people into space. As Elon Musk said, “This is a dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX.”
Notes:
- ^“SpaceX.” SpaceX, 4 June 2020. (go back ↩)
- ^Potter, Sean. “NASA Astronauts Launch from America in Test of SpaceX Crew Dragon.” NASA, 30 May. 2020. (go back ↩)
