CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first astronauts launched by SpaceX declared victory Monday in NASA’s cosmic capture-the-flag game.
They quickly claimed the prize left behind at the International Space Station nearly a decade ago by the last crew to launch from the U.S.
“Congratulations, SpaceX, you got the flag,” NASA astronaut Doug Hurley said a day after arriving at the space station.
The flag was an added incentive for Elon Musk’s SpaceX company and Boeing, competing to be the first private company to launch a crew to the space station.
An estimated 100,000 people — suppliers, vendors, engineers, etc. — were responsible for Saturday’s flawless launch of test pilots Hurley and Behnken aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center.
The Dragon capsule, also built and owned by SpaceX, docked at the space station Sunday.
