SpaceX Crew Dragon launch: All you need to know about Saturday's scheduled flight

SpaceX-NASA Crew Dragon venture has been dubbed as a historical moment in the United States' space exploration saga. In a major disappointment for space enthusiasts, the first attempt to launch two astronauts into the Earth's orbit on a commercial flight was called off on Wednesday due to unfavorable weather. The most awaited event will usher in the return of human spaceflight to US soil after a decade.

The next Crew Dragon launch is scheduled for Saturday at 3:22 pm ET (12:52 am Sunday, IST), but whether or not the rocket will actually take off will most likely come down to the weather forecast. 

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What makes the launch so crucial?

The stakes have never been higher for Elon Musk's SpaceX. The launch will mark the first time in history that a commercial aerospace company has carried humans into space. Space enthusiasts have waited nearly a decade for this milestone.

The United States hasn't launched its own astronauts into space since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. Since then, NASA's astronauts have had to travel to Russia and train on the country's Soyuz spacecraft. Those seats have cost NASA as much as $86 million each.

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'Safe and necessary', even during pandemic

According to NASA, it's both necessary and safe to move forward with the Crew Dragon mission despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The space agency needs to keep the International Space Station fully staffed with US astronauts to keep operations running smoothly. The astronauts slated to fly on this mission have been under strict quarantine together and extra precautions are being taken to keep everything sanitised, said NASA.

Launch officials and mission controllers who will support the launch have implemented additional safety measures, such as changing control rooms after each shift so that the other room can be sanitised.

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Take-off and telecast details

The rocket will take off from "Pad 39A," a historic site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida. Pad 39A has been the starting point of space missions since the Apollo era, including the first moon landing in 1969. SpaceX has currently leased the launch pad from NASA.

SpaceX and NASA will be co-hosting a webcast during take-off beginning around 11 am ET, and they will keep the live coverage rolling until Crew Dragon capsule docks at the space station in about 19 hours after launch.

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Who are the astronauts flying to space?

Two veteran astronauts are Robert Behnken (49) and Douglas Hurley (53). They have worked closely with SpaceX and have been trained to fly the Crew Dragon capsule, which will become only the fifth spacecraft design — after the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle vehicles — that NASA has certified as safe for humans.

Behnken and Hurley both began their careers as military test pilots and have spent hundreds of hours piloting supersonic jets. Two astronauts have also been on previous Space Shuttle missions. The astronauts are expecting to spend one to three months in space. The maximum length is 110 days, according to NASA.

Behnken and Hurley will journey back on the Crew Dragon through the atmosphere, with the vehicle deploying parachutes and then landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

What does Crew Dragon mean?

It's a gumdrop-shaped capsule that measures about 13 feet in diameter and is equipped with seven seats and touchscreen controls.

Crew Dragon and the astronauts will ride into orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The astronauts will board the vehicle on the day of the launch using an aerial "crew access arm." After the rocket fires the Crew Dragon into the upper atmosphere, the spacecraft will separate and fire up its own thrusters to begin maneuvering toward the space station.

The Crew Dragon capsule is fully autonomous, so the astronauts will mostly need to just monitor the systems and keep in touch with mission control unless something goes awry.

How much will the launch cost?

Crew Dragon seats will cost NASA about $55 million each, as per reports. However, these are estimates based on a contract that doesn't clearly define the per-seat cost and only accounts for the first six missions.