Sage-Tips

What is NASA currently working on?

NASA is now preparing for an ambitious new era of sustainable human spaceflight and discovery. The agency is building the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft for human deep space exploration.

Is NASA still sending astronauts into space?

The astronauts of Crew-3 are on their way to the International Space Station. Their journey will take about 22 hours. They will stay there until April 2022, and be replaced at that time by NASA’s next mission flying on SpaceX’s capsule, Crew-4, who will in turn be succeeded by Crew-5 in September.

Is NASA still launching rockets?

The rocket’s next stop will be Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and as early as November, the launchpad. It is expected to lift a capsule called Orion on a path around the moon and back. Its first crewed mission is planned for 2023. This is the last class of rocket that NASA is ever likely to build.

How does NASA benefit from SpaceX?

NASA also benefits by having multiple domestic and international partners able to launch spacecraft and fly crews and cargo to the International Space Station. SpaceX has helped renew the public’s interest in spaceflight.

Where did SpaceX send the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS?

Photo credit: NASA. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida on July 25, 2019, at 6:01 p.m. EDT, carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on its 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission.

What time does SpaceX launch to the International Space Station?

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand ready for liftoff at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for SpaceX’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 1:29 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA

What happens if SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is successful?

If the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is successful, SpaceX will proceed with the six “operational” missions to the ISS they are required to fly under their $2.6bn contract with Nasa. Boeing holds a similar deal, worth $4.2bn, to transport crew to the space station using its CST-100 Starliner vehicle.