- SpaceX rocket successfully launched three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut into orbit
- A crack in the rocket’s side hatch nearly halted takeoff.
- The Falcon rocket carried three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut
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The SpaceX rocket successfully lifted three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut into orbit after concerns about a crack in the side hatch nearly canceled the liftoff.
Before the rocket launched, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission encountered a problem with a crack in the side hatch. However, crews continued with the launch and said the crack was “too small” to cause concern.
At 10:53 p.m., the SpaceX rocket, created by Elon Musk, the Dragon Mission that transported the astronauts and bound for the International Space Station, successfully took off from Florida and was placed in orbit.
“Over the past 12 years, Dragon missions have delivered more than 1,000 research experiments to orbit, giving researchers the opportunity to deliver critical science into orbit,” SpaceX announced.
The SpaceX Falcon rocket is seen during liftoff as it heads toward the International Space Station from launch pad 39-A on Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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The astronauts should arrive at the orbital laboratory on Tuesday. They will replace a crew from the United States, Denmark, Japan and Russia, who have been there since August.
Boeing’s new Starliner capsule with test pilots will arrive at the end of April. A month or two later, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a mini shuttle, is expected to arrive, delivering cargo to the station, but not passengers yet.
Epps was originally assigned to fly Boeing’s Starliner, but NASA switched her to SpaceX after the Starliner stalled with problems and stopped.
She is the second black woman assigned to a long-station mission. Before the flight she said that she is especially proud to be a role model for black girls, proving that spaceflight “is an option for them” and “not just for other people.”
The astronauts should arrive at the orbital laboratory on Tuesday. They will replace a crew from the United States, Denmark, Japan and Russia, who have been there since August.
Epps is the second Black woman assigned to a long-station mission. Before liftoff, she said she was especially proud to be a role model for black girls, showing that spaceflight “is an option for them” and “not just for other people.”
She worked for Ford Motor Co. and the CIA as an engineer before becoming an astronaut in 2009.
Epps should have been launched to the space station on a Russian rocket in 2018, but was replaced for reasons that were never publicly revealed.
Dominick, a Navy pilot, and Grebenkin, a former Russian military officer, are also new to space.
Barratt, a doctor on his third mission, is the oldest full-time astronaut to fly in space. He will turn 65 in April.
“As long as we stay healthy, fit and committed, we can fly,” Barratt said.
Flight controllers are monitoring a growing leak in the cabin on the Russian side of the space station.
The leak has doubled in size in recent weeks and the area has been sealed, said NASA program director Joel Montalbano. He stressed that there is no impact on station operations or crew safety.