SpaceX crew launch marks 600 space travelers in 60 years
A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts pulled up Thursday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.
It took 21 hours for the flight from
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the glittering outpost.
The one German and three U.S. astronauts said it was an emotional moment when they first spotted the space station 20 miles distant — “a pretty glorious sight,” according to Raja Chari, commander of the Dragon capsule.
“Floating in space and shining like a diamond,” noted German astronaut Matthias Maurer. “We’re all very thrilled, very excited.”
The Dragon’s entire flight was automated, with Chari and pilot Tom Marshburn monitoring the capsule systems, ready to take control if necessary. At one point, they reported what looked like a “gnarled knob” or possibly a small mechanical nut floating past their camera’s field of view, but SpaceX Mission Control said it posed no concern. The docking occurred 263 miles above the eastern Caribbean.
The station’s welcoming committee consisted of three astronauts instead of the originally planned seven. That’s because SpaceX returned four of the station residents on Monday, after the new arrivals’ launch kept getting delayed.
While Chari, Marshburn, Maurer and NASA astronaut Kayla Barron were adapting to weightlessness — all but Marshburn are space rookies —the previous crew was adjusting to life back on Earth. “Gravity sucks, but getting used to it slowly,” Japanese astronaut Akihoki Hoshide tweeted.
The new crew will spend the next six months at the space station and, during that time, host two groups of visiting tourists. Russia will launch the first bunch in December and SpaceX the second in February.
The SpaceX rocket that carried the four astronauts into orbit late Wednesday night, included the 600th person to reach space in 60 years.
The repeatedly delayed flight occurred just two days after SpaceX brought four other astronauts home from the International
Space Station. They should have been up there to welcome the newcomers, but NASA and SpaceX decided to switch the order based on Monday’s ideal recovery weather in the Gulf of Mexico and pulled it off.
“It was a great ride, better than we imagined,” mission commander Raja Chari said shortly after the spacecraft reached orbit.
The launch was just as riveting for spectators at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, as well as along the East Coast, as the Falcon rocket thundered through clouds on its way to space, turning night into day.
Germany’s Maurer claimed the No. 600 position, according to NASA, based on his mission assignment.
One of the astronauts — NASA isn’t saying which one — was sidelined last week by an undisclosed medical issue. The crew member is fully recovered, NASA said. Officials won’t say whether it was an illness or injury, but noted it wasn’t COVID-19.
Bad weather also contributed to their flight delays. Chari said trying to launch on Halloween left them with “a trick instead of a treat.” It was also drizzling Wednesday night when the four astronauts said goodbye to their families for six months – with everyone huddling under umbrellas – but it cleared up by launch time.
“Enjoy your holidays among the stars. We’ll be waving as you fly by,” SpaceX launch director Mark Soltys radioed to the crew.
The list of 600 travelers ranges from those who have barely scratched space — like actor William Shatner last month — to U.S. and Russian astronauts who have spent a year or more in orbit. This year’s surge in space tourists helped push the tally over the 600 mark.
That averages out to 10 people per year since Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering flight in 1961, Maurer noted.
The crew launch marked SpaceX’s fourth for NASA and the company’s fifth passenger flight overall. As of Wednesday, Elon
Musk’s company has launched 18 people in 18 months.