SpaceX canceled the mission on Monday (February 27) during its first launch because a filter in the engine’s ignition system became clogged. Thursday’s successful launch was the second attempt.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida shortly after midnight. Kathy Lueders, NASA’s mission chief for space operations, said Thursday’s launch graced the evening sky with a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, two planets that have been seen together all week and appear to be getting closer. “We’ve added a bright new star to the night sky tonight,” she told reporters.
“Welcome to orbit. If you enjoyed your ride, please don’t forget to give us five stars,” SpaceX Launch Control said to the astronauts over the radio.
The spacecraft carried four crew members – NASA’s Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and a second astronaut from the United Arab Emirates Sultan al-Neyadi. They are expected to dock with the International Space Station in the early hours of Friday (March 3) for a six-month scientific work.
Nearly 80 spectators from the United Arab Emirates watched the Falcon 9 launch from the launch site early Thursday morning.
According to Space.com, the launch is SpaceX’s ninth manned flight so far and the fourth flight of the manned spacecraft Endeavour.
Bowen, the team leader, is a retired Navy diver who has recorded three space flights. He said that despite the differences between countries, the four members of the team have a good understanding of cooperation. Even amid the tensions of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the United States and Russia have continued to cooperate and replace crews on the space station. ◇