In a first, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Rocket launched with NASA astronauts

New Delhi: Two Nasa astronauts have launched to orbit on a rocket and capsule system provided by the private company SpaceX.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI Digital)

According to BBC, they’re the first crew to make the journey from US soil since the shuttles were retired nine years ago.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are not only trialling the new hardware, they are also initiating a new business model for Nasa.

#WATCH SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off with the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for International Space Station, with 2 NASA astronauts – Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley. pic.twitter.com/83aXfAtK1d

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2020

The agency will no longer own the vehicles it uses but merely purchase the “taxi” service offered by SpaceX.

The astronauts’ Dragon capsule left Earth atop its Falcon-9 rocket precisely on time - at 16:22 local Florida time (20:22 GMT / 21:22 BST). (UNI)