NASA-SpaceX launch: How long will the astronauts be in space before returning to Earth?

Elon Musk's SpaceX is slated to launch two NASA astronauts into space in what would be a historic moment for the aerospace company and the United States. The SpaceX mission was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, but it had to be aborted with less than 17 minutes remaining on the countdown clock due to poor weather conditions.

The test flight has been named Demo-2 and is now set to take off on Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 PM ET (May 31, 12:52 AM IST) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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How long will the astronauts be in space?

As noted above, the NASA SpaceX mission will be attempted on Saturday, May 30, and the flight will be guided by two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule are scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission will roughly be around 110 days. The spaceship will be guided by NASA space travellers Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

The space shuttle will dock with the International Space Station roughly 24 hours after arriving at the orbit. From here, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will join the team of existing ISS Expedition 63 crew. The group comprises of cosmonauts Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin, and NASA space explorer Chris Cassidy.

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When will the astronauts return to Earth?

The SpaceX Crew Dragon has been equipped to stay in the Earth's orbit for about 110 days; however, there are no details on when the astronauts will actually return to Earth. NASA has stated that the exact length of the SpaceX mission will only be confirmed once the space travellers reach the International space station. However, this will be dependent on the status of the following commercial crew team dispatch.

 

How long will Bob and Doug be in space?

As mentioned above, the length of the mission can only be determined after Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley reach the International space station. So, it isn't clear how long the two astronauts will be in space. However, it is known that Doug Hurley will be responsible for the launch and landing of the aircraft whereas Bob Behnken will handle rendezvous and docking at the ISS.

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The SpaceX mission will be one of the most historic moments as it will mark the first time in history that a private spacecraft company carries humans into Earth's orbit. The agency and space enthusiasts have been waiting for this milestone for a very long time. SpaceX's collaboration with NASA also denotes a major achievement in the public-private partnership that has powered the country’s spaceflight development. This also makes SpaceX launch a big deal.

It’s been a long time since US space travellers have been launched to the orbit from their home country’s soil. The last space shuttle mission, STS-135, came to end nearly a decade ago in July 2011.

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Image credits: NASA