When SpaceX launched its Demo-2 manned spacecraft on May 30, people around the world held their collective breath.
It was the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011.
But few were watching more intently than Magnolia native Blair Knutson, who has worked for SpaceX for the past 8 years.
He was on the team that designed and engineered the Demo-2 that successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS) 19 hours after leaving earth. At that moment, he said he exhaled.
“I was definitely holding my breath,” said Knutson, who worked on the thermal control system for the spacecraft.
Specifically, he was on the team of engineers that designed the “environmental control and life support system” that would keep the astronauts alive during their mission.
“I pretty much held my breath until we docked with the ISS,” Knutson said. “It was one of the really exciting times in my career.”
The launch represents a major milestone for SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company that has been ferrying cargo to the ISS aboard unmanned spacecraft. This is the first with humans onboard.
Knutson said there’s no return date scheduled yet for the crew. “We’ll keep them up there as long as possible,” he said, explaining that the “Crew Dragon” is the capsule that carries astronauts to and from the ISS.
“It’s literally a taxi for astronauts,” he said
Among other space missions for the American astronauts is to work on SpaceX satellites, like the dozens of Starlink Internet satellites launched Saturday as part of a mega-constellation in orbit.
The satellites are designed to provide high-speed Internet access anywhere on Earth, particularly in remote and underserved locations.
SpaceX is one of two private contractors (along with Boeing) under NASA’s $6.2 billion commercial crew program.
Knutson is the son of Kristi Knutson, Magnolia. He graduated from Southwest Christian High School, Edgerton, in 2008 and earned his mechanical engineering degree in 2012 from Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa.