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What NASA and SpaceX’s joint launch mean for the future of space exploration by Lexi Jackson and Sean Jones

Space exploration has always been separated into two groups, private and government programs. But that all changed with NASA and SpaceX’s joint launch of Dragon crew to the ISS.

This has been a long time in the making since NASA ended its Space Shuttle program in 2011. However, they weren’t satisfied with just completely getting rid of it. So in preparation of ending the Space Shuttle program, they created the Commercial Crew Program in 2010. This program was created to help give private firms, like SpaceX and Boeing, the chance to get billions of dollars worth of government contracts. And since then, SpaceX was able to get their shuttle approved for launch.

In an article for Business Insider, Doug Hurley, one of the astronauts on the mission, spoke about how this has been a long time in the making: “This has been quite an odyssey the last five, six, seven, eight years. To be where we are now — the first crewed flight of Dragon — is just unbelievable.”

The time came for the historic event on May 27, 2020, to finally occur. The SpaceX shuttle, Falcon 9, was slated to launch Dragon Crew, which was composed of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, until weather forced them to delay the mission until Saturday May 30. When May 30 arrived, the skies were clear and beautiful, and everything was green lighted for the scheduled 3:22 p.m. launch.

While the launch was live streamed for all to see, it was also watched in person by people like President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence. Many people have come out to show their support for the launch, but none have been more vocal about their pleasure with the launch then NASA.

“It’s difficult to put into words how proud I am of the people who got us here today,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, in an article for NASA’s website. “When I think about all of the challenges overcome – from design and testing, to paper reviews, to working from home during a pandemic and balancing family demands with this critical mission – I am simply amazed at what the NASA and SpaceX teams have accomplished together. This is just the beginning...”

This launch, and subsequent docking of the craft on the ISS on May 31, shows the first time a private company has launched a manned spacecraft and had astronauts board the ISS as a private crew. Mountain View senior, Logan Dubowski, explained what this means for the private sector when it comes to space exploration: “I think the launch will definitely boost people’s faith and want in space programs. It’s clear from SpaceX that they can get stuff up there and back, and NASA has the people to do it... SpaceX has been making advances NASA just hasn’t, and getting them together can only be a good thing for exploring space.”

Some people, like junior Ava Loehmeyer, show their support of moving space away from governments entirely: “I think this will open the door for other private companies all over the world to explore space...I hope that we learn more about how our universe and solar system work, but I also hope that space exploration becomes completely privatized, because the solar system belongs to no one.”

But for others, that would be their worst nightmare. “I just hope my fear of privatising space doesn’t see reality,” said Dubowski. However you slice the outcome of the future for privatised space exploration, both parties agree that the team up was a fruitful partnership for NASA and SpaceX. And with NASA’s plans to put orbital stations around the moon and SpaceX’s ever growing urge to colonize Mars, the dream of becoming astronauts might just come true for more and more people.