NASA greenlights SpaceX capsule test

NASA on Friday gave SpaceX the green light to test a new crew capsule by first sending an unmanned craft with a life-sized mannequin to the International Space Station.“We’re go for launch, we’re go for docking,” said William Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator with Nasa Human Exploration and Operations.

A Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX is scheduled to lift off, weather permitting, on March 2 to take the Crew Dragon test capsule to the ISS.Nasa signed contracts in 2014 with SpaceX and Boeing for the companies to shuttle US astronauts to the ISS.

This will be the first time the US space agency lets a private-sector company transport their astronauts.Nasa ended its space-shuttle programme in 2011 and since then has relied on buying spots on Russian Soyuz rockets to send US astronauts to the orbiting ISS.

“This is an absolutely critical first step that we do as we move towards returning the crewed launch capability back here to the US,” said Gerstenmaier, speaking at a press conference in Cape Canaveral, Florida.The March 2 flight will be identical to a flight that is set to take two astronauts to the ISS later in the year, possibly in July.

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