March 2nd 2023.
After an initial launch attempt was aborted on Monday due to a blockage in the flow of engine-ignition fluid, the spacecraft eventually ascended from the launch tower with its nine Merlin engines, creating billowing clouds of vapour and a reddish fireball that lit up the pre-dawn sky.
Approximately nine minutes after launch, the rocket’s upper stage delivered the Crew Dragon into preliminary orbit as it sped through space at more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The reusable lower-stage Falcon booster then flew itself back to Earth and landed safely on a recovery vessel, dubbed ‘Just Read the Instructions,’ floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
Mission control jokingly radioed to the crew: ‘If you enjoyed your ride, please don’t forget to give us five stars.’
The crew’s commander, Nasa astronaut Stephen Bowen, radioed back, ‘We’d like to thank you for the great ride to orbit today.’
The journey to the International Space Station , a laboratory orbiting about 420 km above Earth, was estimated to take nearly 25 hours, with rendezvous planned for about 6.15 am on Friday.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) The six-month science mission of the four-man crew will include around 200 experiments and technology demonstrations, ranging from studying human cell growth in space to controlling combustible materials in microgravity.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) After a previous launch attempt aborted in the final minutes of countdown early on Monday due to a blockage in the flow of engine-ignition fluid, the SpaceX launch vehicle lifted off at 5.34 am local time on Thursday from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
About nine minutes after launch, the rocket’s upper stage delivered the Crew Dragon into preliminary orbit as it streaked through space at more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The reusable lower-stage Falcon booster, meanwhile, flew itself back to Earth and landed safely on a recovery vessel.
Moments after the capsule reached orbit, a SpaceX mission control manager joked to the crew to rate the ride with five stars.
The crew’s commander, Nasa astronaut Stephen Bowen, radioed back, ‘We’d like to thank you for the great ride to orbit today.’
The trip to the International Space Station , a laboratory orbiting about 420 km above Earth, was expected to take nearly 25 hours, with rendezvous planned for about 6.15 am on Friday.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) The crew’s six-month science mission will encompass around 200 experiments and technology demonstrations, ranging from research on human cell growth in space to managing combustible materials in microgravity.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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