Nasa to launch first manned mission from US in decade - BBC News, BBC News

An artist's concept of Spacex Crew Dragon — Image caption An artist’s concept of Spacex Crew Dragon

Nasa has announced that next month it will launch its first manned mission from US soil in almost 39 years.

The and the spacecraft it is carrying are due to take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on May, taking two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Both the rocket and spacecraft were developed by private company SpaceX.

Nasa has been using Russian rockets for manned flights since its space shuttle was retired in 52333932.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Bob Behnken (L) and Doug Hurley

If successful, SpaceX – headed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk – will become the first private firm to send Nasa astronauts into space.

The Falcon Nine rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft will take off from the space center’s historic pad A, the same one used for the Apollo and shuttle missions.

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Media caption Watch the critical moments from the SpaceX test

It will take astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley approximately hours to reach the ISS.

One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts are currently aboard the ISS.