--- title: "NASA Sets Tentative Date For Launching Astronauts In SpaceX Ship" description: "The latest SpaceX news reveals November 15th as a tentative launch date of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, according to NASA." date: "2019-06-21" modified: "2019-06-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-tentative-spacex-launch-date" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "elon musk" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA Sets Tentative Date For Launching Astronauts In SpaceX Ship ![SpaceX is targeting November 15th as a tentative date to launch its astronaut-ferrying Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS according to NASA.]() *\Image: SpaceX/Victor Tangermann\* ## Planning Dates SpaceX and NASA are targeting November 15, 2019 as a tentative date to launch its astronaut-ferrying Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, according to new information from NASA and the US Government Accountability Office. Boeing set a launch date of an uncrewed Orbital Test Flight of its competing Starliner vehicle for September 17, [*NASASpaceflight* reports]() — though it's important to note is that the newly-reported timeline isn't set in stone. ## Big Boom SpaceX [successfully launched]() its Crew Dragon spacecraft — albeit uncrewed — to the International Space Station earlier this year. But SpaceX later [lost a Crew Dragon test vehicle]() in a massive explosion during an engine test in April, [delaying]() the crewed test launch. "There is no doubt the schedule will change," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said at this week's Paris Airshow, [according to *Reuters*](), but [didn’t share any details]() about the new schedule. "It won’t be what was originally planned." ## Launch Ramp NASA and SpaceX's placeholder dates are ambitious, but as [*Teslarati* points out](), they likely represent no-earlier-than launch dates more than an absolute roadmap. For now, continuing NASA operations aboard the ISS will have to rely on how it's been done since the end of the Space Shuttle era. The agency secured two additional seats, as [revealed in February](), aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a mission later this year and one scheduled for spring 2020. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX’s Crew Dragon gets tentative NASA target for first astronaut launch]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[NASA Head: “No Doubt” SpaceX Explosion Delayed Flight Program]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()