spacetoday.net: SpaceX launches first operational commercial crew mission

Posted: Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 8:00 PM ET (0100 GMT)
Falcon 9 launch of Crew-1 mission (NASA)

Four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station Monday night after a successful SpaceX commercial crew launch Sunday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:27 pm EST (0027 GMT Monday) and placed the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit 12 minutes later. The spacecraft, flying a mission called Crew-1 with four NASA and JAXA astronauts on board, docked with the station Monday at 11:01 pm EST (0401 GMT Tuesday). There were a few minor technical issues both during the countdown and after the spacecraft reached orbit, but they were resolved by controllers. The mission is the first operational flight of the Crew Dragon, developed as part of NASA's commercial crew program that started a decade ago. The spacecraft will stay on the station for six months, with the Crew-2 mission to follow in the spring of next year.