Cal Poly graduate pilots rocket into space

November 16, 2020

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Cal Poly graduate Victor Glover piloted a flight into space on Sunday.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft was initially scheduled to launch Saturday in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Following a one-day weather delay, the spacecraft launched on top of Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket at 7:27 p.m. ET Sunday.

Crew Dragon is expected to reach the International Space Station Monday night. Glover and three other members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 are expected to stay at the space station for up to six months.

On Sunday, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong and Dean of the College of Engineering Amy Fleischer witnessed the launch from Cape Canaveral.

The launch marked the second crewed SpaceX flight. It was SpaceX’s first “operational” crewed flight, following a single successful test flight with a crew.

Glover graduated from Cal Poly in 1999. He also graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School and the Naval Postgraduate School.

The Cal Poly alumnus flew 24 missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned several Navy medals, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. In 2013, NASA selected Glover as an astronaut while he was serving as a legislative fellow in the United States Senate.