Canadian astronaut ‘astounded’ by voyage

LONGUEUIL, QUE.— Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques boarded the International Space Station Monday afternoon, declaring himself “astounded” by the journey and excited for the discoveries ahead of him.

After the hatch opened at 2:37 p.m., Saint-Jacques and his two crewmates floated in from the docked Soyuz capsule, embracing the astronauts who have been at the space station since June.

“I am completely astounded by everything I have seen,” Saint-Jacques said during a brief conversation with family members on the ground at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site in Kazakhstan.

Speaking in French, he described his first sunrise seen from space as “breathtaking.” He said “it’s just the beginning” of the discoveries ahead of him.

Canadian Space Agency president Sylvain Laporte told the crew members there was “a lot of relief” when the astronauts entered the space station about two hours after docking.

“Although we knew that you were safe and sound, there was nothing like seeing you come through the hatch,” Laporte said.

Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette, herself a former astronaut, was also among those watching the launch in Kazakhstan. She offered Saint-Jacques a “Bravo, bravo, bravo” and told the space station crew they were an inspiration for humanity.

NASA GETTY IMAGES A Soyuz booster rocket launches the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying David Saint-Jacques.

NASA Canadian David Saint-Jacques, second from left, joins the other crew members of Expedition 57 at the International Space Station on Monday.