Key takeaways:
- SpaceX and NASA launched a mission to the International Space Station, carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.
- The mission is the first time an Arab astronaut has been assigned to a long-duration spaceflight.
- The mission is expected to last roughly six months, during which the astronauts will conduct a variety of experiments and research projects as part of a larger effort to expand human exploration of space.
Early Thursday morning, SpaceX and NASA launched a mission to the International Space Station, carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates. The mission took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:34 a.m. ET.
The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon capsule, throttled up to 1.7 million pounds of thrust and climbed away from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The rocket arced away to the northeast on a trajectory matching the space station’s orbital path.
After reaching orbit, the Crew Dragon detached from the rocket and is expected to spend about one day maneuvering through space before linking up with the space station. The capsule is slated to dock at 1:17 a.m. ET Friday.
The mission is the first time an Arab astronaut has been assigned to a long-duration spaceflight. Commander Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg monitored cockpit computer displays, flanked by cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev and United Arab Emirate flier Sultan Alneyadi.
The mission is expected to last roughly six months. During that time, the astronauts will conduct a variety of experiments and research projects. This mission is part of a larger effort to expand human exploration of space and gain a better understanding of the universe.
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