SpaceX captures US flag aboard space station in Obama-era competition - Business Insider - Business Insider

When NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship, they'll be carrying an American flag with even more symbolism than usual.

It was left on the ISS by the crew of NASA's final space shuttle flight in 2011, of which Hurley was a member.

The idea was that the next astronauts to launch on an American spacecraft from US soil would return the flag to Earth.

SpaceX launched Behnken and Hurley toward the International Space Station in May, marking the first time humans have ever flown a commercial spacecraft to orbit.

Soon after, Hurley held the flag up to NASA's live broadcast cameras beside Behnken and astronaut Chris Cassidy.

The aim was to restore the US's ability to launch its own astronauts into space after the space shuttle program ended. .

But software issues plagued Boeing's uncrewed test flight to the space station, triggering a series of required reviews and a forthcoming re-do mission before the company can launch astronauts.

It's providing this capability to the International Space Station so that we can start rotating crews from American soil," Behnken said before the May launch.

"The important point is, as I said before, just returning launch capability to the United States to and from the International Space Station