WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send two astronauts to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocketship from U.S. soil after an 11 year hiatus, according to NASA, NASA will launch two astronauts to the International Space Station from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, according to the New York Times.
Citing a tweet by NASA Administer Jim Bridenstine, the New York Times reports a Falcon 9 rocket will be utilized for the mission scheduled May 27.
The Falcon 9 rocketship features a reusable second stage with nine Merlin engines.
The New York Times reports NASA's Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken will pilot the ship from the Dragon spacecraft mounted atop the first stage that will push the capsule to orbit.
The reusable first stage has one Merlin engine and it is capable of reactivating multiple times during the flight to orbit, according to SpaceX.
The Dragon spacecraft will jettison the first stage and fairings before unfurling its solar array, according to NASA.
The Dragon spacecraft has completed multiple supply missions to the ISS and completed its most recent run in March.
According to Space.com, Demo-2 will be the first mission for Dragon to dock itself, instead of relying on robotic arm capture.