NASA and private rocket company SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit late Wednesday, a veteran spacewalker, two young crewmembers selected for future lunar missions and a German materials scientist on their way to the International Space Station. The SpaceX-built launch vehicle, consisting of a Crew Dragon capsule and a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, was accompanied by a red fireball at approximately 9 p.m. (0200 GMT on Thursday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Light shone in the sky. As its nine Merlin engines roared to life. The crew’s liftoff of the Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, was broadcast live on NASA TV from Cape Canaveral, prompting cheers and applause from mission controllers. NASA said intermittent rain and clouds over the cape cast doubt on the launch’s prospects, but the weather cleared by the time of the flight.
The mission was confused by weather delays since its original launch window of 31 October. A postponement was attributed earlier this month to an unspecified medical issue of an astronaut, though NASA said the problem was later resolved. Live video footage webcast by NASA showed the four crew members strapped into the pressurized cabin of their capsule and seated peacefully in their helmeted white and black flight suits after launch, which appeared to be unharmed. appeared because of
According to launch commentators, within 10 minutes of liftoff, the rocket’s upper stage had propelled the crew capsule into orbit. Meanwhile, the rocket’s reusable lower stage, separated from the rest of the spacecraft, flew back to Earth and successfully touched down on a landing platform floating on a drone vessel in the Atlantic.
‘Hope you enjoy the ride’
As Dragon separated from the upper rocket stage moments later, a launch engineer on the ground radioed the crew: “Welcome to orbit. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Dragon will get you through here. Safe trips.” ” Three US astronauts and their European Space Agency mates were due to arrive at the space station, orbiting about 250 miles (400 km) from Earth, on Thursday evening, after a nearly 22-hour flight. The flight marks the end of the US Space Shuttle program in 2011 After a nine-year hiatus, NASA and SpaceX teamed up to resume space launches from US soil last year to deliver the third “operational” space station crew to the Dragon capsule. sent to class.
“Crew 3” includes two members of NASA’s latest graduating class of astronauts — Raja Chari, 44, a US Air Force fighter jet and test pilot as mission commander, and mission specialist Kayla Barron, 34, an American. Naval submarine officer and nuclear engineer.
The team’s designated pilot and second-in-command is veteran astronaut Tom Marshburn, 61, a medical doctor and former NASA flight surgeon who has logged the last two spaceflights to the space station and four spacewalks. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer, 51, from Germany, is a materials science engineer.
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