It lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center, and is now on its way to the International Space Station.
The news: Dark and early Saturday morning at 2:49 a.m. EST, the Falcon 9 rocket took off with the test module perched on top. The Crew Dragon successfully entered orbit and the Falcon 9 first stage booster was caught on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. Onboard the Crew Dragon was a sensor-equipped dummy (or “smartie,” as SpaceX calls it) named Ripley (after the Alien movies, of course), 181 kilograms (400 pounds) of cargo, and a bonus stuffed Earth Celestial Buddy passenger to show off when the module reached microgravity. You can watch a video of the launch here.
What’s next: Some of the bigger tests are still to come. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. EST, the capsule will reach the International Space Station and, for the first time, autonomously dock with it. The craft will return home just a few days later on March 8, when it’ll splash down off the coast of Florida. The data obtained from this mission will help determine whether the crew module is ready to launch with people on board this July and will inform final changes to the system.
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