Four astronauts successfully launched into orbit on Thursday for a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that will last until spring. Among them is Jessica Watkins, the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit, making her second trip to the space station. The launch, conducted by SpaceX for NASA, followed a three-week delay to address a leaking fuel system in the capsule.
Launch Details
Thick clouds threatened to disrupt the countdown, but the skies cleared just in time for a safe liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The journey to the ISS is expected to be the quickest yet for SpaceX, with a transit time of just eight hours, allowing the crew to arrive well before bedtime.
Crew Members
Watkins, a geologist who previously worked with NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, is joined by three newcomers to space:
- Luke Delaney, a retired marine from NASA
- Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force
- Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner from Russia
They will replace four astronauts who have been aboard the ISS since February. Kutryk's wife, Heather, is due to give birth to their third child while he is in orbit, making him the fourth man to become a father during a space mission.
