Despite the ongoing Coronavirous or COVID-19 pandemic, NASA and SpaceX's plans on implementing the first-ever manned commercial crew launch to space will still push through as early as May.
SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 test will send two astronauts
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be preparing for a mid-to-late may launch to space.
According to NASA, as told by Gizmodo, this space mission will "mark the return of human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States and the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket and spacecraft since the final space shuttle mission on July 8, 2011."
NASA has been putting the Crew Dragon to the test have, fortunately, been successful in making sure that the engines used, as well as the launch escape systems a the entirety of the capsule is ship-shape.
NASA has prioritized the safety and health of the astronauts before launching
Two weeks of quarantine has been implemented along with a checkup and inspection of supplies for microbes that might be contained. They have also told Business Insider that they have been trying to limit contacts with other crew members as much as possible.
Though the planning is still ongoing, NASA's effort to develop and create some other alternative has seen a lot of delays. The transportation of the astronauts in the United States to and from the International Space Station has been made possible by contacts to buy seats on Soyuz rockets that were launched by Russia's Roscosmos.
Mandatory Policies has been made
NASA has also implemented a lot of mandatory remote work policies on all the employees who are not currently needed in the mission. This was after a week following a number of their facilities had already decided to do so, like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Assembly Facility in New Orleans, and the Michoud.
According to NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, their other facility named Ames Research Center in California has been shut down entirely and have been working remotely.
Bridenstine has also said that even though there have only been a small number of employees that tested positive for the coronavirus, it is necessary for them to take a pre-emptive step to stop the spread of the virus among other workforce and their communities.
Another development in addition to SpaceX's Crew Dragon is Boeing that has been trying to create the CST-100 Starliner though it did fail to obtain orbit.
Their spacecraft will then fly on top of a Falcon 9 rocket at the Launch Complex 39A at the Kenney Space Center in Florida.
NASA and SpaceX will further update the public regarding the launching and other mission-related news about the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 that will be sent off into space once more.
