SpaceX launches four astronauts to the International Space Station | Science and Technology News

Four astronauts began their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) after SpaceX’s historic launch.

It is the first complete NASA mission to send a crew into orbit on a privately owned spacecraft and the second time that the SpaceX Dragon capsule has carried astronauts to the space station, after Test flight again in May this year.

The crew of three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut set off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7.27 pm local time (12.27 am GMT), after weather conditions questioned the launch.

It is also the second time in nearly a decade that a manned space flight has been launched from the United States, after the retirement of the shuttle program in 2011.

SpaceX will now rotate flights to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA, As a taxi service To the station.

The crew will take about 27 hours to reach the International Space Station, and they will spend about five to six months in Earth’s orbit.

In an engineering feat, the Dragon capsule should fly into the entire International Space Station while in operation, without the need for crew members to control it – unless, of course, they need to.

After landing in the sky from Florida and across North Carolina, the ship then tracked across the North Atlantic on its way into orbit.

Once the Dragon reached the correct altitude, the first stage booster, known as the Falcon 9, detached and successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean called Just Read The Instructions.

On board, crew captain Mike Hopkins said it was “one flight of flight” shortly after take off, adding: “There were a lot of smiles.”

Hopkins is joined by physicist Shannon Walker and naval commander Victor Glover, who will be the first black astronaut to spend a significant period of time on the International Space Station.

Captain Glover will also make his first-ever flight to the International Space Station, while the others have called the station home before.

Soichi Noguchi, from Japan, is also on board, and is the third person in history to orbit three different types of spacecraft.

When they arrive at the International Space Station, set to be around 4 a.m. GMT on Tuesday morning, they will be met by NASA’s Kate Robins, Russian astronauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Svershkov.

The Dragon crew named flexibility their craft, in reference to the challenges it presented in 2020.

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Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who runs SpaceX, revealed earlier He is “most likely” infected with COVID-19, Although it is reported Mixed test results last week.

After the launch, he simply tweeted Love Heart.

He had previously tweeted: “Astronaut launched today!” , Adding that despite the appearance of mild symptoms of the Corona virus, it feels “very normal”.

US President Donald Trump hailed the launch, calling it “great,” but added that NASA “was a closed disaster when he took command.”

“Now it is again the” hottest “and most advanced space center in the world, by far!

Vice President Mike Pence was at the launch event on the East Coast of Florida, on behalf of the President.

President-elect Joe Biden also tweeted, “Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX at all today.

“It is a testament to the power of science and what we can achieve through harnessing our innovation, creativity, and determination. I join all Americans and the people of Japan in wishing the astronauts the best in their journey.”