Friday, April 23, 2021

SpaceX Launches Four More Astronauts Towards ISS

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has successfully launched four more astronauts towards the International Space Station, in a launch for a href="http://nasa.gov">NASA--the first time that a re-used Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket have been used on a crew mission. SpaceX launched NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet into space at 5:49 a.m. EDT Friday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will have a number of firsts,including the first handoff of commercial crews, between Crew-1 and Crew-2; and will be the first time two commercial crew spacecraft will be docked at the International Space Station at the first time.