SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES — SPACEX — HAS REACHED THE FIRST MILESTONE IN ITS QUEST TO LAUNCH CREWS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FROM U.S. SOIL, THROUGH A COMMERCIAL CREW TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITY CONTRACT WITH NASA.
THE SPACE AGENCY ANNOUNCED DEC. 19 THAT IT HAD APPROVED THE MILESTONE, WHICH BASICALLY ENTAILED SPACEX DESCRIBING TO NASA ITS “CURRENT DESIGN BASELINE,” INCLUDING HOW THE COMPANY’S CREW DRAGON SPACECRAFT AND FALCON 9 V1.1 ROCKET WILL BE MANUFACTURED, LAUNCHED, LANDED AND THE CREW RECOVERED.
THE 9 V1.1 IS THE SECOND VERSION OF THE COMPANY’S ROCKET-PROPELLED SPACEFLIGHT LAUNCH SYSTEM.
ALSO DURING WHAT’S CALLED THE “CERTIFICATION BASELINE REVIEW,” SPACEX OUTLINED HOW IT PLANS TO WIN NASA CERTIFICATION OF ITS SYSTEM TO FERRY CREWS TO AND FROM THE ISS. KATHY LUEDERS, MANAGER OF THE AGENCY’S COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM, SAID THE MILESTONE “SETS THE PACE FOR RIGOROUS WORK AHEAD.”
ON SEPT. 16, THE AGENCY ANNOUNCED IT HAD CHOSEN SPACEX AND BOEING TO TRANSPORT CREWS BETWEEN EARTH AND THE ISS WITH THE CREW DRAGON AND CST-100 SPACECRAFT, RESPECTIVELY. THE AIM OF THESE CONTRACTS IS TO END THE UNITED STATES’ RELIANCE ON RUSSIA FOR GETTING CREWS TO THE ISS AND ALSO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE ISS CREW, WHICH WILL ENABLE MORE RESEARCH ABOARD THE SPACE STATION’S MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY.
ON SEPT. 22 AT BOCA CHICA BEACH EAST OF BROWNSVILLE, SPACEX BROKE GROUND ON THE WORLD’S FIRST COMMERCIAL ORBITAL SPACE PORT. ELON MUSK, THE COMPANY’S CEO AND CHIEF DESIGNER, SAID DURING THE EVENT THAT THE FACILITY WOULD LIKELY TAKE NINE MONTHS TO COMPLETE AND THAT THE FIRST LAUNCH COULD TAKE PLACE AS SOON AS LATE 2016.
SPACEX IS HEADQUARTERED IN HAWTHORNE, CALIF., AND HAS A ROCKET ENGINE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY IN MCGREGOR, TEXAS.
MUSK’S LONG-TERM GOAL IS NOT JUST TO FLY HUMANS TO MARS BUT TO ACTUALLY INHABIT THE RED PLANET. AND WHILE SPACEX’S CURRENT MANNED SPACEFLIGHT EFFORTS ARE BASED AT THE KENNEDYSPACECENTER, AND MANNED LAUNCHES AREN’T SCHEDULED FOR THE BOCA CHICA SITE AT THIS POINT, MUSK HINTED AT THE GROUNDBREAKING THAT ASTRONAUTS MAY SOMEDAY BE SENT INTO SPACE FROM BROWNSVILLE.
“IT COULD VERY WELL BE THAT THE FIRST PERSON THAT DEPARTS FOR ANOTHER PLANET COULD DEPART FROM THIS LOCATION,” HE SAID.
Steve Clark
