Space flight

SpaceX’s first crewed flight is a go

Social distancing measures will allow the test mission to launch as planned
Leah Crane

DESPITE the coronavirus “I’ll feel a little relief in orbit, nearly four months, said Steve “The United States has not had a
pandemic, NASA and SpaceX are I’ll feel more relief when they get Stich at NASA’s Commercial human landing system since 1972,”
gearing up for a historic flight. On to station and I’ll start sleeping Crew Program. The duration said Bridenstine. “This is the last
27 May, the US space agency and again when they’re back safely on will depend on how long it takes piece that we need in order to get
the private space-flight firm plan the planet,” said SpaceX president to prepare SpaceX’s craft for its to the moon.”
to launch astronauts from the US Gwynne Shotwell. next crewed mission, which will Each company will develop its
for the first time since the last ideally launch as soon as possible own lunar lander. Blue Origin’s
space shuttle flight in 2011 – a key after this one returns. Integrated Lander Vehicle will be
step towards revisiting the moon. To the space station… designed to launch aboard either
In press conferences on 1 May, As this is a test flight, much of the the company’s own New Glenn
NASA and SpaceX shared details mission involves running through … and beyond rocket or the United Launch
about the upcoming flight, which procedures for various emergency NASA officials hope that there Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
will be the first time astronauts go scenarios to ensure Crew Dragon will eventually be many private The Dynetics Human Landing
to space on a commercial craft. can handle them all. companies operating in space, System is also intended to be
Nearly everything about this Hurley and Behnken will providing rides and maybe even carried by the Vulcan rocket.
mission is new, including the manually steer the spacecraft private space stations with services SpaceX’s contract will go towards
touchscreen-laden Crew Dragon on the way to and from the ISS, that the agency can purchase. developing its Starship lander,
spacecraft built by SpaceX, the and test its capabilities for use “The goal is for NASA to be a designed to launch aboard the
as a lifeboat for ISS astronauts. customer [of private spacefaring company’s Super Heavy rocket.

3
Lunar lander concepts were chosen
Behnken compared it with
his past experiences as a test pilot
for the US Air Force: everything
companies], and we want a very
robust commercial marketplace
in low Earth orbit,” said NASA
Blue Origin’s lander has three
sections: a transfer stage to move
it into a lower orbit around the
by NASA for future missions needs to be checked so that future administrator Jim Bridenstine moon from where it is first
astronauts won’t have to do any at a press conference on 30 April. dropped, a descent stage to land
sleek white spacesuits and the life emergency procedures for the To that end, NASA recently and an ascent stage to return into
support systems. It will also be led first time during an actual crisis. awarded three US companies – lunar orbit. The landers from
from mission control rooms that It hasn’t yet been decided Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX – Dynetics and SpaceX are both
have been reorganised so that the exactly how long Hurley and a combined $967 million to make intended to be single structures
desks are 2 metres apart from one Behnken will remain on the ISS and test lunar landers that will that can perform all three of
another to allow the support staff before heading home. It could last bring humans to the moon as those manoeuvres.
to maintain coronavirus social anywhere from about a month to part of the Artemis programme. For the first mission of the
distancing protocols. Artemis programme, which aims
NASA astronauts Douglas to send astronauts to the moon
Hurley and Robert Behnken by 2024, the plan is to launch one
make up the crew. They have of the landers on a separate rocket
undertaken thousands of hours to NASA’s astronauts, who are set
of training for the mission to the to travel on the Space Launch
International Space Station (ISS), System rocket that the agency is
but they said that despite this, developing. Then, the astronauts
the first crewed flight on a new will rendezvous with their lander
spacecraft carries more risk than in orbit around the moon before
flying on a flight-tested craft. lowering down to its surface. The
“The big difference for us other two landers may be used
[between past missions and this on subsequent missions.
one] is that the vehicle that we’re While the specifics are
going on has never flown before currently undecided, these crafts
with crew,” said Behnken. “It’s all will be tested without astronauts
been walked through, but never before the first crewed launch to
with any real danger.” the moon. “We won’t just send
them up there and let them enter
Blue Origin’s lunar lander the spacecraft for the first time
BLUE ORIGIN

is one contender to take without tests,” said Lisa Watson-

humans back to the moon Morgan at NASA. ❚

9 May 2020 | New Scientist | 17