The least space shuttle that launched was back in 2011 and not many people believed it would be almost a decade before American astronauts went back into space from U.S. soil. What’s even more interesting is that no one could have expected that the next launch would take place during a pandemic here on Earth. Vice President Mike Pence believes the timing is perfect.
“When that rocket goes off next week, it’ll remind the American people that even in the midst of the most challenging times, America still moves forward,” the vice president told Fox News during an interview at NASA’s Headquarters. “America continues to lead with courage and with bravery. Just like every American family has done, the NASA family did that throughout the coronavirus pandemic. They stayed on mission.”
VP Mike Pence
May 27, 2020 at the Kennedy Space Center is when the Demo-2 mission is scheduled. NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
It will be the first time that NASA astronauts are flying in a spacecraft that’s owned and operated by a private company. It’s also going to be only the 5th time in U.S. history that NASA astronauts fly a new spacecraft for the first time.
“We think about Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and then the space shuttle: Those are the only four times in history where we have put humans on brand new spacecraft,”
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during a preflight news conference.
The launch will also signify one giant leap towards the Trump administration’s goal of securing American dominance in space.
“To think for the last 10 years we’ve had to hitch a ride on Russian rockets to get to the International Space Station, I think every American knew it was just wrong,”
VP Mike Pence.
Last week NASA agreed on paying the Russian space agency Roscosmos more than $90 million for the final seat on a Soyuz rocket. Vice President Pence says he understands the need for a contingency plan, but still questions why there is such an expensive backup plan.
In recent years, countries like Russia and China have become increasingly aggressive actors in outer space, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated tensions on Earth. It’s part of the reason Trump established the Space Force and NASA’s new Artemis program.