All eyes were glued on to know what transpires as the Dragon capsule returned to the Earth’s orbit on August 2. Elon Musk was at the SpaceX mission control, waiting to see his entrepreneurial dream come true.
SpaceX ventured into a successful reign after the Dragon Crew returned after a two-month mission on August 2. Elon Musk achieved his biggest dream and ambition of sending astronauts into space on 30 May 2020. fThe Crew Dragon spacecraft carried Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken for a mission. The crew returned to Earth on August 2, creating a history of sorts after 45 years, by splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.
The mission consists of a few firsts as well. It is the first operation held in a commercially built spacecraft. The first mission that happened from the American land since 9 years. Also, it was the first splashdown by an American spacecraft in many decades. The capsule returned after a successful mission of 64 days.
Doug and Bob made a successful splashdown into the water after journeying for 19 hours to their home planet. The splashdown was hard, yet amazing for both the astronauts. The astronauts were well aware of the aftermath and were excited about the return splashdown. Why was water chosen? The SpaceX firm had planned for a terrestrial landing, but finally let go of it as it would have cost a lot more, and were prepared for a safe splashdown.
The last leg of the demo mission was also a little challenging, given there were 7 locations around the sea where the splashdown could happen. Also, the weather conditions were adverse, and it took time to finalize the location. Yet, officials signaled green and assured the situations were smooth.
The successful mission validates the claims Elon Musk has made and has opened doors for many private firms, such as SpaceX. Well, it is foreseen that more and more vehicles will get into the business and all transport needs might be purchased from such private companies. This reduces the organization’s costs and helps it focus on the other missions like taking people to the moon and then sooner than expected to Mars.
Hurley’s and Behnken’s mission served as an end-to-end demonstration of the astronaut “taxi service” the company, owned by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, will be selling to NASA from now on. Along with SpaceX, Boeing is also on the lines. This mission’s success has led to the expansion of such organizations to private companies, and to a greater pace in development for mankind.
Sources:
https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-see-nasa-astronauts-return-to-earth/
https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/nasa-spacex-mission/index.html
