SpaceX has made history by launching the first privately funded human spacecraft to orbit the Earth. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, successfully completed its journey on July 9th, 2017, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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The mission began when Dragon was launched from Cape Canaveral at 8:46 am local time. It spent 16 hours and 31 minutes in space, traveling approximately 21,000 miles (33,784 kilometers) to the International Space Station (ISS).
During the journey, Dragon conducted several scientific experiments, including conducting tests on the new technologies developed during the development phase of SpaceX. These tests were essential for ensuring that the spacecraft was capable of surviving long-duration missions in space.
Once inside the ISS, Dragon carried three astronauts: Russian cosmonaut Valery Shevchenko, Ukrainian cosmonaut Oleg Grigoriev, and American astronaut Jeff Bezos. They spent over four months living and working inside the station.
One of the most significant accomplishments of this mission was the successful launch and return of a reusable rocket, which will allow SpaceX to save money and reduce waste associated with sending spacecraft back to Earth. This achievement sets SpaceX apart from other private spaceflight companies, who have struggled to develop and maintain reusable rockets due to high costs and technical challenges.
Another major milestone of this mission was the confirmation of Earth’s location using advanced radar technology. The data collected by the Dragon spacecraft allowed scientists to confirm that Earth is indeed located in the sky.
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Overall, the successful launch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is a major achievement for the private space industry and has paved the way for further innovation in space exploration. As more private space companies continue to emerge and compete for contracts with NASA and other government agencies, we can expect to see even more exciting missions in the future.
