- NASA plans to fly its first astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, into orbit on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship.
- The demonstration mission, called Demo-2, is supposed to launch sometime in April, May, or June, according NASA.
- However, the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization now describes as a pandemic, may delay Demo-2 - what would be SpaceX's first-ever launch of humans.
- NASA told Business Insider that it is bolstering its existing infection-control plan for astronauts by following Centers for Disease Control guidance, limiting access to its crew members, and is "evaluating" if taking additional precautions is warranted.
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The most critical moment yet in the nearly two-decade history of SpaceX, the rocket company founded by Elon Musk, is almost here.
Sometime in April, May, or June, SpaceX hopes to launch a space mission called Demo-2. The mission is the second planned demonstration flight of the company's new Crew Dragon spaceship and its first-ever launch of human passengers. The two crew members NASA selected to test out the ship - developed as part of a larger and roughly $8 billion NASA program called Commercial Crew - are veteran flyers and astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.
Demo-2 is also a highly anticipated moment for NASA, which has relied solely on Russia to fly its astronauts after the US agency retired its entire fleet of space shuttle orbiters and rockets.
"For the first time since 2011, we are on the brink of launching American astronauts from American rockets on American soil," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during the official debut of Behnken, Hurley, and other Commercial Crew astronauts in August 2018.
However, NASA is poignantly aware that the pandemic outbreak of a new coronavirus - which is very contagious, comes with a relatively high mortality rate, and can leave survivors with 20-30% reduced lung function after full recovery - could affect and delay its long-awaited return to flight. The concern: coronavirus might spread to key mission staff or even crew members like Behnken and Hurley.
"The health and welfare of the crew is always paramount," Josh Finch, a spokesperson at NASA headquarters in Washington DC, told Business Insider in an emailed statement.
Protecting astronaut crews ahead of flight has always been NASA's status quo, but Finch said the agency "currently evaluating changes to the health stabilization plan due to the coronavirus."
What NASA is doing to keep coronavirus from delaying SpaceX's mission
The plan in reference, formally called the Flight Crew Health Stabilization Program, is a standard protocol that NASA follows - coronavirus outbreak or not - to prevent crew members and support staff from getting sick before a mission. It's in place to protect those who live and work aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where there is no emergency room to go to for treatment.
"NASA has robust plan in place to ensure that astronauts are not ill or incubating illnesses when they launch to the International Space Station," Finch said.
Common measures include robust training of everyone who comes into contact with astronauts, as well as a two-week quarantine ahead of launch for anyone who's supposed to fly. During such quarantines, family access is permitted but restricted for anyone younger than 14 years old. Additionally, any cargo and supplies sent to the ISS undergo strict control, inspection, and microbial testing.
"This ensures that they aren't sick or incubating an illness when they get to the space station," Finch said.
But NASA indicated it's already made several changes in light of the new coronavirus, including additional "cleaning of surfaces, social distancing, emphasizing hand hygiene," and asking NASA workers who think they're sick to stay home, Finch said.
"We are following CDC [Centers for Disease Control] recommendations for infection control to minimize the risk of exposure to astronauts in training, as well as all NASA employees," he said
He added that NASA is also "limiting contact with crew members" like Behnken and Hurley (and presumably backup crew member and astronaut Kjell Lindgren) to reduce their exposure risk.
Brandi Dean, a spokesperson at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston - where astronauts typically train for missions - told Business Insider that tours, for example, have been suspended to limit coronavirus exposure to staff generally, but also including astronaut crew members.
The agency may further bolster its protection protocols, though it has not yet decided on the matter.
"We are evaluating whether any changes or additions to the plan are warranted at this time," Finch said.