The u.s. rumfartsselskab SpaceX is on Saturday sent an unmanned space capsule up to The International Space station (ISS).
Rumkapslen is on the way to the space station with a doll by the name of Ripley on board.
Rumkapslen was, as planned, separated from the SpaceX-the rocket “Falcon 9”, which was sent into space from the Kennedy rumfartscenteret at Cape Canaveral in Florida, announces SpaceX.
the Doll Ripley is wearing a space suit and sitting at a window, and affixed sensors on its head, neck and spine, as it becomes exposed to the forces that a human being is exposed to on a mission.
the Doll is named after the person who is the actor Sigourney Weaver plays in the Alien movies.
Rumkapslen expected to reach the ISS on Sunday at 12 o’clock Danish time. The return to Earth next Friday, after having been associated with the space station in five days.
SpaceX is testing its new Dragon space capsule in connection with a planned launch of two astronauts to the space station later in the year.
– This mission has a crucial importance (…). We are on the eve of again to send american astronauts into space in the american rockets, from american soil for the first time since rumfærgeprogrammet was set in 2011, says administrator Jim Bridenstine from the u.s. space administration, Nasa.
He says that he before the launch received a special briefing and presentation of rumkapslen of SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
the Launch from Kennedy rumfartscentret was followed to about 5000 people, including employees and subcontractors, to Nasa, tourists and reporters.
Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley, and Bob Behnken, who also followed the launch, and will later this year be sent into space to test the “SpaceX Demo 2”.
SpaceX was created in 2002 by Elon Musk, who is best known for being behind the elbilfabrikanten Tesla.
the UNITED states retired for eight years since its last space shuttle, Nasa has been dependent on Russian Soyuz vessels to get the astronauts sent to the space station, which hovers around at an altitude of about 400 kilometers.
/ritzau/AFP
