First, there was Endeavor, then followed by Resilience and Endurance. Now, SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule is ready to launch to space to bring astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX recently announced the name of its Crew-4 Dragon capsule, their fourth operational crew to the ISS - Freedom. It is scheduled to launch next month, on April 15, ferrying two NASA astronauts and an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA) to ISS.
The SpaceX spacesuit to be wore by NASA astronauts that will travel to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is displayed during a media tour at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, on August 13, 2018.
Crew-4 Dragon Capsule's Origin of Name
"FREEDOM!! Crew-4 will fly to the International Space Station in a new Dragon capsule named 'Freedom.' The name celebrates a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit," NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren wrote in a Twitter post on Monday, March 23.
FREEDOM!! Crew-4 will fly to the International Space Station in a new Dragon capsule named “Freedom.” The name celebrates a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit. 1/ pic.twitter.com/uMVzeS0rp1
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) March 23, 2022
Lindgren, who will be commanding the Crew-4 mission, will be joined by two other NASA astronauts, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
Freedom will be the fourth SpaceX Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to space. As Lindgren pointed out, the name pays homage to the Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket known as Freedom 7. The rocket has carved its place in history as it was the spacecraft that took Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space, in 1961.
But more than that, Futurism reported that the name "Freedom" could also have a more significant meaning other than its historical value. The name could also be a message to the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia as the latter continues its invasion of the former. The ongoing conflict led the international space community to distancing itself and canceling launches from Russian rockets.
Since the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle in 2011, they had to rely on Russian-made Soyuz rockets to send astronauts to ISS. But SpaceX's Crew Dragon has restored a national capability. Lindgren said that this ingenuity and hard work is greatly honored. To put it simply, the name could signify SpaceX's great success in giving the US back its ability to send astronauts to the aging orbital outpost.
SpaceX's Crew-4 Mission
Although the Freedom capsule is only the fourth Dragon capsule that SpaceX sent to space, the Crew-4 mission will be the company's fifth crewed spaceflight for NASA, according to Space.com. It follows the crewed test flight Demo-2 and three previous operational crewed missions to ISS.
Moreover, the Crew-4 mission will also be the sixth crewed spaceflight overall of SpaceX, counting the Inspiration4 that brought the first civilians to space.
SpaceX is still on track for the April 15 flight of Crew-4 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where SpaceX previously launched its crewed missions.
Earlier this month, NASA has already opened media accreditation for the coverage of the launch of the fourth SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Crew-4 astronauts to ISS for a science expedition mission as part of the space agency's Commercial Crew Program.
Crew-4 astronauts will replace astronauts from NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission who are scheduled to return to Earth in April aboard the Space Crew Dragon Endurance capsule.
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