Trump said the launch marked a commitment to a better future for all citizens of the Earth. (File)
Florida:
US President Donald Trump said Saturday (local time) that the SpaceX Dragon capsule has successfully reached low Earth orbit and that the two NASA astronauts are safe.
“I am delighted to announce that the SpaceX Dragon capsule has successfully reached low Earth orbit, and our astronauts are safe and sound. With this launch, decades of lost years and little action are officially over. new era of American ambition has begun, “said Trump at the Kennedy Space Center here, where SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully took off.
“The former leaders put the United States at the mercy of foreign nations to send our astronauts into orbit. Not anymore,” he added.
Trump said Saturday’s launch marks a commitment to a better future for all citizens of the Earth.
“When the Americans are united, there is nothing we can do,” he added.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft launched at 3:22 p.m. EST from the Kennedy Space Center for the International Space Station (ISS) with two NASA astronauts – Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
The spacecraft is the first to bring American astronauts into orbit from American soil in almost a decade. The mission marks the first flight of NASA crews from American soil since 2011 and the first launch of a rocket belonging to SpaceX, the commercial space company founded by Elon Musk.
On Wednesday, the planned launch was canceled due to bad weather.
Behnken is the joint operations commander for the Demo-2 mission, responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as activities while the spacecraft is docked at the space station. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and made two space shuttle flights.
Hurley is the spacecraft commander for the mission, responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has made two space flights.
