Mask and NASA agree on a date to send humans on commercial space flights

SpaceX founder Elon Musk and NASA administrator Jim Pridenstein revealed that SpaceX could launch its first crew for the space station in the first part of 2020.

The two officials assured reporters this afternoon that their partnership to fly NASA astronauts to the space station is still strong and that the first crews could be launched on SpaceX vehicles as soon as the first quarter of next year.

The joint announcement at SpaceX headquarters comes just two weeks after newspapers reported talks between NASA and SpaceX.

"I and Elon strongly agree on this," Pridenstein said during a visit to SpaceX. "The only thing we have under development now, which is a top priority, is launching American astronauts on American missiles from American soil." "Human spaceflight is the reason for the creation of SpaceX, and we are honored to partner with NASA to realize that dream that has come true," Musk said.

Goodbye Russian Soyuz and Hello Dragon Crew commercial
SpaceX is one of two companies developing devices to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station, as part of the agency's commercial crew program.

Since the US space shuttle program ended in 2011, NASA has had to rely on a Russian Soyuz rocket to transport crew members to the International Space Station, an option that cost the agency about $ 85 million per seat.

But with Commercial Crew, the goal is for rival SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts on US-made capsules at a much lower cost - about $ 50 million per seat - according to NASA estimates.

But the commercial crew program was delayed, with NASA expecting the first crew to fly in 2017, but the target dates were postponed.

In March, SpaceX developed a version of its capsule, called Crow Dragon, which successfully docked with the International Space Station and returned to Earth.

But a month later, the capsule exploded during a ground test in Cape Canaveral, Florida, further delaying the schedule and questions about the future of SpaceX flights, where no one has so far flown on the company's commercial vehicle.

Now, both Pridenstein and Mask say SpaceX's readiness depends on year-end testing. "We are very confident that in the first part of next year we will be ready to launch American astronauts on American missiles," Pridenstein said today.

Mutual d after tension due to delayed launch
Today's meeting was an overview of friendliness between Breidenstein and Mask, who made it clear that the Dragon Cru is a priority. It was noted that NASA wants the spacecraft project to succeed. "We have been a partner in the Starship program, a partnership that is not just money-based," Pridenstein said. "When it comes to aerodynamics expertise and testing facilities, we have something to offer."

If all the tests continue naturally, the crew of the Dragon Crew spacecraft, including the astronauts Pinkin and Harley, could be at the launch site in Cape Carnival by December, Mask said. But Pridenstein and Mask assured everyone that NASA would not launch astronauts on board until they were sure the crew would be safe.

There is still some pressure to launch the vehicle sooner rather than later. NASA has only a limited number of seats for its passengers on Soyuz's upcoming flights to the station, and those seats will be exhausted by the fall of 2020.

Mask promised transparency as SpaceX moved forward in the industry, which has been criticized for not doing so in the past few years.