The space company SpaceX has received permission from NASA for the first test flight of its new space capsule. Manned missions are thus within reach of SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk.

As the US space agency announced, the space capsule "Crew Dragon" is due to launch on Saturday at the International Space Station (ISS) - but still without astronauts on board. Only one life-size doll will be on the test flight.

The test flight with a Falcon 9 rocket is now planned for 2 March, according to NASA. On March 3, the capsule is to dock at the ISS and return to Earth on March 8. "We are ready for take-off, we are ready for docking," said Bill Gerstenmaier, who is responsible for manned spaceflight at NASA, at a press conference at the US Cape Canaveral spaceport in Florida.

The Nasa wants to bring astronauts into space this year for the first time with a SpaceX rocket. SpaceX has already several times sent its other space capsule "Dragon" to the ISS, but so far only with material. An unmanned mission had to be canceled in December at short notice - because moldy mouse food.

Expected to be in July, astronauts aboard a "Crew Dragon" capsule, which is transported by a Falcon 9 rocket into space. Two astronauts are to participate in the mission to the ISS.

The US space shuttle program was discontinued in 2011. Since then, US astronauts have only been able to reach the ISS with Russian Soyuz rockets. The contract with Russia expires in November. Then SpaceX and Boeing will take over.

Flights to the moon and Mars

Just a few days ago, Israel sent a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the Moon, carrying the unmanned Beresheet probe. She should set up an Israeli flag on the moon and examine the magnetic field. Your landing is expected on April 11th.

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SpaceX: Space revolutionaries

SpaceX wants to offer from 2023 flights to the moon private people for private people. Even traveling to Mars wants to make Musk possible. SpaceX made headlines earlier this year when it was announced that it would dismiss one in ten of its more than 6,000 employees. The company talked about a "leaner" organization that needed to be divorced from part of the workforce.