Astronaut Douglas Hurley, of Apalachin and a 1984 graduate of Owego Free Academy, Tioga County, will make history Wednesday when he and Robert Behnken launch a new era of human spaceflight as American astronauts takeoff on an American rocket from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA astronauts Hurley and Behnken will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:33 p.m. EDT Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission. The specific duration of the mission is to be determined.
Hurley will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2, responsible for activities including launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. Hurley served as pilot and lead robotics operator for both STS‐127 in July 2009 and STS‐135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. Hurley was born in Endicott, but considers Apalachin to be his hometown. Before joining NASA, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lifting off from Launch Pad 39A, Crew Dragon will accelerate to approximately 17,000 mph and put it on an intercept course with the International Space Station. Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will verify the spacecraft is performing by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system and the maneuvering thrusters. In about 24 hours, Crew Dragon will be in position to rendezvous and dock with the space station.
After successfully docking, Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
As the final flight test for SpaceX, this mission will validate the company’s crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities. This also will be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit.
