The weather was about to set, but after several hours of waiting for the right weather conditions, the rockets were able to leave the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 4.30 pm Swedish time. The cheers during Space X's own live broadcast of the launch were high when the astronaut Crew Dragon was separated from the Falcon rocket in the air and then landed in the Atlantic a few minutes later, completely according to plan.

Satisfied Elon Musk

The canister should be able to tear itself away from the rocket during launch, in order to save the crew if something goes wrong with the rocket on its way up. The US Space Agency Nasa wants to do everything possible to avoid a repeat of the Challenger wreck in 1986. At that time, all seven people on board were killed when the space shuttle exploded in the air.

At the ensuing press conference, Space X CEO - celebrity entrepreneur and Teslag founder Elon Musk - reported that the rocket reached a speed of Mach 2.2, ie more than double the speed of sound.

- It went perfectly as we had hoped. We have achieved our goal and I look forward to the next step, ”says Musk.

Decreased addiction

Since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, the US and the rest of the world have been dependent on Russian rockets for passenger traffic to and from the International Space Station (ISS). But with today's test, Space X's first manned trip up to the ISS can take place in just a few months. A big step, according to NASA chief Jim Bridenstine

- We're not quite there yet, we have some tests left. But this day is a fantastic milestone in a project that is fast moving forward, says Bridenstine.