Washington: Ahead of their historic launch to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Wednesday, NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken said that they were ready for the upcoming journey. Also Read – NASA Renames Its WFIRST Hubble Telescope After Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman
“…The teams are ready and we are ready. #LaunchAmerica,” Hurley said in a tweet. Also Read – ‘It’s a Date’: Twitter Promises NASA on Late Night Chat, Netizens Witness Romance Over ‘Earth’ And ‘Space Snack’
This “Crew Demo-2” mission will mark the first launch of astronauts on an American rocket from American soil since the last space shuttle mission in 2011. Also Read – Harry Potter Author JK Rowling Asks Tesla CEO Elon Musk to Explain Bitcoin, Latter Even Reveals How Much he Owns
NASA said that its prelaunch coverage also includes a special performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson.
Launch of the mission, dubbed Launch America, is scheduled for 4.33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and is scheduled to dock to the space station at 11.39 a.m. on May 28.
“Our @NASA Administrator wished @Astro_Doug and I well through the glass wall of astronaut quarantine today. Looking forward to being part of the team that will make him and the rest of America proud tomorrow! #LaunchAmerica,” Behnken said in a tweet late on Tuesday.
This will be SpaceX’s final test flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme and will provide critical data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations.
The test flight also will provide valuable data toward certification of SpaceX’s crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station.