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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

SpaceX Capsule Slated to Soar to Space Station on Saturday

SpaceX announced that it is gearing up to launch its Dragon capsule toward the International Space Station on Saturday. If successful, the trip will mark the first time a private spacecraft has ever docked at NASA’s habitable artificial satellite.

Spaceflight company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will be sending the robotic capsule attached to its Falcon 9 rocket into orbit on a test mission to the orbital outpost. The launch date is now set for nearly three weeks after the capsule was originally slated to soar into space.

The rocket will fly on Saturday, May 19 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:55 a.m. ET. It was originally scheduled to launch on Monday, April 30 but delays related to the spacecraft’s docking software pushed back the launch date.

Although no one will be on board the Dragon, two astronauts at the International Space Station will open a hatch to attach the capsule to the site. According to SpaceX, this will take “extreme precision.”

“After launching from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Dragon will begin its journey to the space station,” SpaceX said in a press release. “Just under 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of engine firings to reach the station.”

After a series of “complicated” tests, the space station will determine if the Dragon capsule is ready to dock at the station. Dragon will then spend about two weeks attached to the space station.

The move is part of an effort to test Dragon’s reliability to transfer supplies to the station. SpaceX eventually plans to send passengers into the Earth’s low orbit.

The Dragon spacecraft is expected to land in the Pacific Ocean two weeks after launch, off the coast of California.

For more information about the launch, check out SpaceX’s video below.

How long do you think it will take for SpaceX to send consumer passengers into space? Would you ever go for a ride on a private spacecraft? Let us know in the comments.

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