NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission lifted off on Thursday, sending four astronauts on a long-duration mission to the International Space Station after a two-month delay caused by a technical issue with the spacecraft.
The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon crew spacecraft launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It was the first crewed US launch since the Artemis II mission in April.
The crew
On board are NASA commander Jessica Watkins and pilot Luke Delaney, along with mission specialists Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia's Roscosmos.
The mission marks Watkins' second human spaceflight and her second aboard a Dragon spacecraft. Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are both flying their first missions. After a journey of approximately seven hours and fifty minutes, the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station at about 8 p.m. ET Thursday, connecting to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module. Hatch opening is expected shortly afterward, when the four astronauts will join the Expedition 75 crew.
A delayed journey
Crew-13 was originally scheduled to launch on July 30. During a static-fire test on July 31, engineers discovered a leak of oxidizer in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system, forcing NASA and SpaceX to postpone the flight. A subsequent launch target of September 15 was lost to weather, pushing the mission into October.
The crew will conduct a range of scientific investigations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, continuing the long-running programme of research on the station.
The successful launch closes a difficult summer for the mission and restores the regular rotation of crews to and from the station after months of delays.
Sources:
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacesta...egins-journey-to-international-space-station/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...-crew-13-launch-today-watch-live/92000251007/
The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon crew spacecraft launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It was the first crewed US launch since the Artemis II mission in April.
The crew
On board are NASA commander Jessica Watkins and pilot Luke Delaney, along with mission specialists Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia's Roscosmos.
The mission marks Watkins' second human spaceflight and her second aboard a Dragon spacecraft. Kutryk and Teteryatnikov are both flying their first missions. After a journey of approximately seven hours and fifty minutes, the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station at about 8 p.m. ET Thursday, connecting to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module. Hatch opening is expected shortly afterward, when the four astronauts will join the Expedition 75 crew.
A delayed journey
Crew-13 was originally scheduled to launch on July 30. During a static-fire test on July 31, engineers discovered a leak of oxidizer in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system, forcing NASA and SpaceX to postpone the flight. A subsequent launch target of September 15 was lost to weather, pushing the mission into October.
The crew will conduct a range of scientific investigations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, continuing the long-running programme of research on the station.
The successful launch closes a difficult summer for the mission and restores the regular rotation of crews to and from the station after months of delays.
Sources:
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacesta...egins-journey-to-international-space-station/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...-crew-13-launch-today-watch-live/92000251007/
