Contemporary · North America · Science

2020

Crew Dragon takes humans to orbit

May 30, 2020

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. It was the first crewed launch from American soil since the shuttle's retirement nine years earlier, and the first ever by a private company. Nine years of public dependence on Russian rockets ended.

More from 2020 Contemporary

In context

Also in 2020 (10 other events on record)

WHO declares COVID a pandemic · Europe · Disaster
First COVID vaccinations · Europe · Science
Murder of George Floyd · North America · Politics
Hong Kong national security law · East Asia · Politics
AlphaFold solves protein folding · Europe · Science
Soleimani killed in Baghdad · Middle East · War

Before and after in North America

Before: September 23, 2019: Greta at the UN
After: January 6, 2021: U.S. Capitol stormed

Before and after in Science

Before: April 10, 2019: First image of a black hole
After: February 18, 2021: Perseverance lands on Mars

Era

Contemporary (2001–2026), one of 196 events from that era on Saeculum.