A little while ago SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its SpX-DM2 (SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2) or SpaceX Demo-2 mission. After about eleven minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and went en route to carry out its mission. This is the first crewed mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, in this case with Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on board.

After the success of the SpX-DM1 mission, conducted in March 2019, the In-Flight Abort Test, conducted in January 2020, and the subsequent parachute test, NASA approved a crewed mission for the Crew Dragon spacecraft. In this case there are two astronauts, but probably in the future there will be three or even four if that will be part of the plans. The astronauts of the SpX-DM2 mission aren’t part of the normal International Space Station crew rotation, but will still join the current three Expedition 63 members. The two astronauts onboard the Crew Dragon are:

Douglas “Doug” Gerald Hurley. Born on October 21, 1966 in Endicott, New York, USA, he graduated from Tulane University with a B.S.E. in civil engineering. Enrolled in the Marine Corps, he served for years, also as a pilot. In 2000 he was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. He’s on its third space mission after the STS-127 in 2003 on the Space Shuttle Endeavor and the STS-135 in 2011 on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the one that ended the Space Shuttle era. He’s married to astronaut Karen Nyberg.

Robert Louis “Bob” Behnken. Born on July 28, 1970 in St. Ann, Missouri, USA, he earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and one in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Caltech. Enlisted in the Air Force, he served with various positions, also as a pilot and engineer. In 2000 he was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. In 2006 he participated in the NEEMO 11 submarine mission. He’s on his third space mission after the STS-123 in 2008 and the STS-130 in 2010, both on the Space Shuttle Endeavor. He’s married to astronaut Katherine Megan McArthur.

Initially they were supposed to stay on the Station for a couple of weeks, but following the accumulated delays it was decided to extend their mission, though it hasn’t yet been decided how long. The limit is in some systems of the Crew Dragon, especially the solar panels exposed to space, which set the final date for the return to September 23, 2020.

Tomorrow, at about 14:29 UTC, the Crew Dragon will reach the International Space Station and dock directly to the Harmony module. That arrival will represent a historic moment for the first arrival of astronauts on a private spacecraft, which for SpaceX also means having beaten Boeing. For the USA it’s the return to service of an American spacecraft, so the mission is accompanied by the motto “Launch America”.