04 March 2024 , 12:16
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Four astronauts finally started their journey to the International Space Station yesterday where they will replace a crew who have been there for six months after facing launch delays.
The SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday carrying Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps and Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin, all from NASA. The four astronauts should reach the orbiting station on Tuesday - but that will make them three days late.
Their journey was delayed by three days due to high winds in Florida. Weather officers monitored strong winds and high waves along the launch abort zone with the launch originally scheduled for Friday but postponed to Saturday before being delayed a second time to finally launch on Sunday night just before 11pm local time.
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The rocket is three days delayed due to high winds (Anadolu via Getty Images)Another issue nearly prevented the new crew from taking off last night after a small crack was discovered in the seal of SpaceX's capsule hatch. But after a rush of last-minute checks it was deemed safe for the entire mission.
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Taking to X, space station commander Andreas Mogensen asked: "When are you getting here already?" SpaceX joked in response that members of the Crew-8 launch were "fashionably late".
The current crew aboard the space station, from the US, Denmark, Japan and Russia, have been there since August last year. They will be relieved by NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, along with Russia's Alexander Grebenkin.
The four astronauts will stay on the space station for six months (AFP via Getty Images)The new crew, who will also remain on the space station for six months, will oversee the arrival of two rocketships, ordered by NASA. Boeing's Starliner capsule is due to arrive in late April with test pilots. Then around a month later the mini shuttle, Sierra Space Dream Chaser, should arrive. The shuttle is only delivering cargo to the station rather than passengers.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew are expected to carry out more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. According to Space X, this includes new research to "prepare human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth."
A Space X Falcon rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images)Upon reaching orbit, one of the new astronauts, Epps, said: "I am in a New York state of mind right now, it is amazing." She was originally assigned to fly Boeing's Starliner but NASA moved her to SpaceX when the Boeing got bogged down and stalled.
Epps, from Syracuse, New York, is the second Black woman ever to be assigned to a long station mission. Before setting off on the mission she said she feels proud to be a role model for other Black women, adding she wants to demonstrate that spaceflight “is an option for them, that this is not just for other people."
Michael Barratt is, at 65, the oldest full-time astronaut to fly in space (Anadolu via Getty Images)An engineer, Epps worked for Ford Motor Co. and the CIA before she became an astronaut in 2009. She was supposed to have gone to the space station on a Russian rocket in 2018 but was replaced for reasons that have not been shared.
Dominick, a Navy pilot, and Grebenkin, a former Russian military officer are also new to spaceflight on this mission. But it will be the third mission for Barratt, a doctor, who, at 65, is the oldest full-time astronaut to fly in space.
After reaching orbit, Barratt said: “It’s kind of like a roller coaster ride with a bunch of really excited teenagers. As long as we stay healthy and fit and engaged, we’re good to fly.”