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SpaceX gets permission to return its Dragon capsule from orbit

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A mockup of SpaceX's Dragon capsule that will make it's maiden voyage from Cape Canaveral next month. Credit: SpaceX

In a move hailed by NASA officials as a landmark achievement, SpaceX — the commercial space upstart owned by Internet tycoon Elon Musk – was awarded Monday the first license for a commercial spacecraft to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

The award is an important step in the development of a commercial spacefaring industry that many are hoping will help America remain a leader in space exploration.

“With this license in hand, SpaceX can proceed with its launch of the Dragon capsule,” said NASA administrator Charlie Bolden in a statement released by the agency. “The flight of Dragon will be an important step toward commercial cargo delivery to the International Space Station.”

The license gives the company permission to return its Dragon capsule from orbit. SpaceX needed the certification from the Federal Aviation Administration before its scheduled Dec. 7 maiden launch of Dragon, which is being designed to carry cargo and eventually crew to the International Space Station for NASA after the shuttle is mothballed next year.

“Milestones are an important part of space exploration and SpaceX achieved a very important one today,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

SpaceX is one of a handful of aerospace companies — some new and some well-established — vying to transport cargo and crew to and from the Space Station on fixed-price contracts, while NASA focuses on designing a new heavy-lift rocket for flights to deep space.

NASA has already awarded SpaceX $1.6 billion in contracts to transport cargo to the International Space Station on the Dragon, starting as early as next year. Congress this year authorized spending more than $1 billion on commercial rocket development over the next three years, but the funds have not yet been appropriated.

In next month’s test launch, the Dragon capsule will carried to orbit on SpaceX’s flagship Falcon 9 rocket, which made its first flight in June from Cape Canaveral. The Dragon capsule is expected to orbit the Earth, reenter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. The capsule has been undergoing drop tests over the Pacific near Morro Bay, Calif., in preparation for its maiden flight.


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