SpaceX sends four NASA astronauts to ISS, marks the beginning of a ‘new era’

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SpaceX has sent four NASA astronauts into orbit around the earth, on a first regular mission to International Space Station. This is NASA‘s first full-fledged mission to send astronauts into space involving a privately owned spacecraft.

NASA said it marks the beginning of a new era where private firms will take astronauts to low earth orbits, BBC reports.

The astronauts will be in space for 6 months. The latest launch has been named Crew-1 mission, which has come after 18 years of Elon Musk founding SpaceX Corp. with the ultimate aim of populating planets and starting interplanetary travel.

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NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker, and Victor Glover, and Soichi Noguchi from Japan were sent into orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida’s Cape Canaveral.

This is the second time SpaceX is working with NASA to send a crewed mission, in May this year, SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts into ISS. That trip marked the first time NASA astronauts were sent to space from American soil in almost 9 years.

This mission marks a crucial milestone in the development of the private space industry, in which more business and tourism opportunities will be provided by private sector companies.

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