CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek, matching rocketship.
The color coordinating — white with black trim — is thanks to Elon Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken like the new look.
The true test comes Wednesday when Hurley and Behnken climb aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and, equipment and weather permitting, shoot into space.
It will be the first astronaut launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011.
The launch also marks the first attempt by a private company to send astronauts into orbit. Only the governments of the U.S., Russia, and China have done that.
