Mission is Necessary Step Towards Human Mission to Mars
For Immediate Release
HOUSTON, Texas, May 31, 2020 – The Mars Initiative congratulates SpaceX, its crews at Kennedy Space Center, at SpaceX’s Launch Complex 39A (SLC-39) and Hawthorne Mission Control, and the ISS Mission Control team at NASA Johnson Space Center for successfully docking with the International Space Station.
The Crew Demo-2 mission lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 3:22:45 p.m. EDT (1922:45 GMT) on Saturday and docked with the space station at 10:16 a.m. EDT (1416 GMT) Sunday. A modified SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted the Crew Dragon capsule to orbit on Saturday.
“This mission is significant because human missions to Mars depend on successfully reducing the cost of access to space. The mission gives the SpaceX teams valuable experience dealing with the unique requirements of humans in space” said Mina Mukhar, Founding President of The Mars Initiative.
Prior to the mission, NASA relied on the Russian-made Soyuz capsule to access the ISS. Seats on Crew Dragon are estimated to cost $55 million, compared to $86 for the Soyuz and can be launched from US territory. Comparatively, the Space Shuttle, last flown in 2011, cost approximately $1.5 billion per launch, almost five times the per seat cost of the Crew Dragon. SpaceX is under contract to deliver six missions of four astronauts each to the ISS.
Mars Initiative is a publicly-funded, international non-profit organization focused on creating the opportunity for individuals around the world to contribute to the advancement of space travel and inspiring a love of space in young people. We utilize crowdfunding to make it possible for all persons to have a hand in supporting the first successful crewed mission to the surface of Mars as well as provide resources to classrooms and youth organizations that inspire the next generation of Space Advocates. For more information see the website at https://marsinitiative.org/.