SpaceX Ready for Defining Moment With First Humans on Rocket

  • NASA astronauts set for space station trip in Dragon capsule
  • May 27 launch is first ride to orbit on private-sector vehicle
SpaceX Ready to Send Humans to Space for the First Time
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Elon Musk is about to face his biggest test after almost two decades as a space entrepreneur: launching human beings into orbit.

If the weather holds and there are no technical issues, a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:33 p.m. on May 27. Two NASA astronauts -- Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley -- will be on board, with a docking at the International Space Station scheduled for 19 hours later.