 "NASA astronauts complete their dress rehearsal before their SpaceX launch to the ISS on Sunday, 31 May, 12.52 am IST")
SpaceX has informed that two US astronauts have completed the dress rehearsal before their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s commercial crew program.
“SpaceX and @NASA completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities with @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug ahead of Crew Demo-2,” the Elon Musk-led company tweeted.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has partnered with Space X to send astronauts to the ISS aboard the Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX is an American company that provides commercial and government launch services on its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
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NASA astronoauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken take part in a dress rehersal for the final launch day. Image credit: SpaceX/Twitter[/caption]
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken who completed the dress rehearsal will depart from Kennedy Space Center launch pad on 27 May at 4.32 pm EDT (Thursday, 28 May, 2.00 am IST).
Hurley and Behnken will board the SpaceX Dragon capsule on top of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This will the first astronaut launch from the Kennedy Space Center since 2011.
Both the astronauts have extensive experience in space and been involved in NASA’s Space Shuttle flights. According to Australia’s ABC News, Hurley and Behnken will be part of the first attempt by a private company to send astronauts into orbit.
“It’s going to be quite a show,” ABC News quoted SpaceX’s mission director Benji Reed.
The rocket has been named after Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon and the capsule after “Puff the Magic Dragon”. The launch of the spacecraft will depend on the weather and reportedly there is only a 40 per cent chance of favourable conditions for the launch day.