NASA, SpaceX launch manned astronaut capsule to ISS after 8 year hiatus

In a major step towards resuming manned space flights, NASA and SpaceX on Saturday morning (local time) launched a new astronaut capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) from US soil after an eight-year break, reported Al Jazeera. With no crew aboard but a mannequin named Ripley, the capsule is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday, with a scheduled return to Earth on Friday.

If the test goes smoothly, NASA plans to put two astronauts on board by the end of the year. "We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011," Al Jazeera quoted the head of the US space agency, Jim Bridenstine, as saying.