Q&A with John Elbon, VP and general manager of Boeing’s space exploration division

As viewed from the ITL Causeway at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket departs for space with the EchoStar 19 satellite to delivery Internet connectivity across the U.S.

Cape Canaveral was the departure point for more space launches in 2015 than in any year since 2003, with 17 takeoffs by Atlas, Falcon and Delta rockets hoisting U.S. military satellites, commercial payloads and cargo for the International Space Station.

In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research lab Monday, a first-of-its kind maneuver for the new generation of commercial crew spaceships.