The SpaceX Saga: Private Business Forays Into Space

The world has been waiting with bated breath since 2006 for SpaceX’s first manned mission into space. After years of casting doubt on Elon Musk’s business acumen, industry experts can’t wait until April 2019.
The first commercial manned mission to the ISS
In a press release, it was stated that NASA and commercial industry partners Boeing and SpaceX are making significant advances in preparing to launch astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. This will be the first manned mission from the US in a long time. At an event in August 2018, NASA unveiled the nine astronauts who have been assigned to the test flights of Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Most of the astronauts have previous spaceflight experience, but several will be making their first trip to space on the commercial craft. Both commerical vehicles are designed to carry astronauts up to the International Space Station. Since the Space Shuttle’s retirement in 2011, that job has been done by Russian rockets launching from Kazakhstan in Soyuz capsules.
SpaceX Dragon : Hits and Misses

Elon Musk’s Dragon was the first private spacecraft to berth with the ISS. Besides a manned mission to the ISS, Dragon is also ferrying cargo to and from the ISS. Dragon’s first cargo demonstration flight to the station took place in May 2012, and commercial flights began that fall. Under the current commercial contract, SpaceX will do 12 robotic supply flights to the station for a minimum of $1.6 billion. SpaceX also received $2.6 billion from NASA in 2014 for the latest phase of the Commercial Crew Program, which aims to fly astronauts on American spacecraft.
With the world watching and after several launch attempts, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in June 2010. This flight included a “qualification unit” of the Dragon spacecraft that was primarily supposed to transmit data during its ride into space. The first full-up test of the Dragon spacecraft came on Dec. 8, 2010. The mission was a success. It marked the first time a private unmanned space capsule was recovered safely back on Earth.
Dragon’s first official supply run took place in October 2012. While the spacecraft made it into orbit safely, Falcon 9 experienced a problem with one of its rocket engines during flight. SpaceX adjusted the trajectory of the rocket to put Dragon on the right path. Dragon berthed with the station, and then splashed down successfully weeks later in the Pacific Ocean near California.
One Dragon spacecraft was lost en route to the International Space Station in 2015 when the Falcon 9 rocket carrying it failed, causing a catastrophic explosion. Space station flights were delayed by several months while SpaceX addressed the underlying problem. Cargo flights resumed in 2016; a Falcon 9 exploded that year on the launch pad with a commercial payload, once again pushing back flights until 2017.
One thing that sets Dragon spacecraft apart from other ISS spacecraft is the ability to survive re-entry with delicate cargo on board. NASA commonly uses Dragon spacecraft to send back life sciences experiments (such as experiments requiring that astronauts take samples of urine or blood). The samples are refrigerated in the spacecraft and picked up quickly after splashdown. Dragon can also carry back living creatures, allowing for biological experiments on the ISS.
SpaceX: Manned mission

The vehicle can hold up to seven astronauts. SpaceX and NASA are hoping this capability will allow International Space Station crews to expand from the current normal level of six people. The first unmanned test flight is scheduled for November 2018, whereas the first manned crew tests are set for April 2019, NASA has announced.
Gwynne Shotwell, the aerospace manufacturer’s president, confirmed that SpaceX will send its first astronauts into space in April 2019. The SpaceX test crew include shuttle veterans Bob Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Douglas Hurley, alongside naval aviator Victor Glover, a novice to spaceflight.
The flights to the ISS will be the first leaving US soil to put people into orbit since the iconic space shuttle programme ended in 2011. The US government though continues to express doubts as it doesn’t expect SpaceX Dragon to be ready for its manned mission on schedule.
