Primary, high school and university students were hosted by U.S. Ambassador Joseph Cella at the U.S. Embassy this morning to watch the historic launch of the NASA and SpaceX Demo Mission 2 to the International Space Station.
The US Embassy in Fiji says for the past several years, the U.S. Embassy has worked to courage youth to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math and prepare them to be competitive members of the 21st-century workforce.
It says for this reason the Embassy invited youth ages 15-23 to attend the launch watch party.
This launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida is the first human space flight launched from American soil in nine years, marking the third generation of human space flight with the United States of American leading the way for peaceful space exploration for the world.
NASA and SpaceX Demo Mission 2 will launch a Falcon 9 rocket with NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the Crew Dragon vehicle who will wear new launch and re-entry suits designed by SpaceX.
Cella says since he was a boy in grade school he has been captivated and inspired by space flight, doing model rocketry then, and do so with his children at their farm in Michigan.
He says he has closely followed the advancements of space flight since boyhood, and he is honored and excited to share this historic moment of space exploration with Fiji’s youth, to excite them, and inspire them to shoot for the stars!
Cella says #LaunchAmerica is an excellent opportunity to work with allies and partners in total transparency to promote innovation, research, and exploration.
— Joseph Cella (@USAmbSuva) May 30, 2020
The US Embassy to Fiji says Launch America exemplifies a unique collaboration, using a public-private partnership model between NASA and SpaceX to create opportunities for all mankind through our astronauts.
It says this mission shifts away from the expensive and time-consuming process in making government-owned spacecraft, allowing private sector agility and innovation.
The US Embassy to Fiji adds that this venture will allow research at the International Space Station to increase by 300 percent and that it also paves the way for establishing a permanent presence on the Moon and then Mars.
The mission is currently set for between 30 to 119 days.
After undocking from the International Space Station, Astronauts Behnken and Hurley will angle the Crew Dragon toward Earth.
As with the Apollo space capsules, Crew Dragon will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, using its parachutes to slow and splashdown in the Atlantic.
SpaceX’s ship “GO Navigator” will pick up the astronauts and capsule at sea and return to Florida’s Space Coast.
The launch was initially scheduled for May 28 but was postponed due to weather.
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