La capsula Crew Dragon di SpaceX trasporterà gli astronauti sulla Stazione spaziale internazionale (ISS) per la prima volta nella seconda metà del mese di maggio. Lo ha annunciato la NASA mercoledì, sottolineando che sarà il primo volo con equipaggio lanciato dagli Stati Uniti all'ISS dal 2011.
Nel mese di marzo, la capsula aveva fatto un viaggio di andata e ritorno verso la ISS. Il mezzo aveva trascorso sei giorni nello spazio prima di ammarare nell'Atlantico. SpaceX ha fatto il viaggio verso Stazione Spaziale Internazionale quindici volte dal 2012, ma solo per rifornire di carburante la stessa stazione.
Per ridurre i costi, la NASA ha affidato per la prima volta il trasporto dei suoi astronauti a compagnie private: l'agenzia spaziale non possiede più navi o razzi e acquista un servizio, a un prezzo fisso. Anche Boeing ha siglato un contratto e sta sviluppando una propria capsula, la Starliner.
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