Crew Dragon carries NASA astronauts to orbit from US soil
Demo-2 was the first crewed orbital launch from the United States since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011.
Archive entry. This article looks back at an event from May 30, 2020. It was drafted with AI assistance from public records and is being fact-checked. See our About page.
On May 30, 2020, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley launched aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon, named Endeavour, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
It was the first crewed orbital launch from US soil since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, and the first time a commercially built and operated spacecraft carried astronauts to orbit.
The two spent about two months aboard the International Space Station before returning to Earth in August 2020. Regular crew rotation missions followed.
