NASA, SpaceX launches Crew-6 with US, Arab and Russian astronauts to space

By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 2, 2023, 11:53 AM IST

SpaceX launched another set of astronauts to the International Space Station early Thursday, after a problem with a ground system delayed the launch earlier in the week. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Days after the SpaceX scrubbed the launch of four astronauts from Florida to the International Space Station, NASA re-attempted to send them to space on Thursday. The Crew-6 astronauts include NASA's Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

For a six-month journey, the four astronauts will dock with the Space Station on March 3. The four astronauts will take part in a number of science investigations designed to test the boundaries of the human body while they are in microgravity.

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Liftoff! Dragon takes flight! launched at 12:34am ET (0534 UTC) March 2, lighting up the skies as the crew heads to orbit in the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/lEgqJmRu76

— NASA (@NASA)

During their six-month-long stay, the astronauts will be involved in several experiments around human physiology, and technological developments that are aimed at enhancing future space travel.

The Crew Dragon, the vehicle carrying the astronauts, detached from the rocket after reaching orbit, and it’s expected to spend about one day maneuvering through space before linking up with the space station. The capsule is slated to dock at 1:17 a.m. ET Friday.

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On February 27, the launch was aborted two minutes before takeoff because of problems with a combination that starts the rocket. After the problem was resolved, the American space agency tried to send two Americans, a Russian, and an Arab astronaut into orbit.

This mission marks the seventh astronaut flight SpaceX has carried out on NASA’s behalf since 2020, continuing the public-private effort to keep the orbiting laboratory fully staffed.

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