(NASA/Joel Kowsky)
This evening, the first operational mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is set to take flight, carrying a crew of four to the International Space Station. The mission, scheduled for 7:27PM ET, marks the beginning of regular crewed missions to and from the ISS for SpaceX as the company establishes a route to space for NASA’s astronauts — and eventually private customers.
On board tonight’s flight are three NASA astronauts — Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker — as well as Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. The crew is slated to stay on board the ISS for six months, before returning to Earth inside the Crew Dragon in the spring.
NASA’s live coverage of the flight will begin at 3:15PM ET, jut…