SpaceX launches US-Russian crew into space after safety concerns

SpaceX launched four US and Russian astronauts into space after delays and safety concerns.

Elon Musk’s aerospace company launched the 25-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, three days behind schedule.

A small crack in the seal of the capsule’s hatch prompted last-minute checks and risked postponing the launch for a fourth day, but reviews deemed it safe for the mission.

It had initially been delayed for three days due to high winds, prompting International Space Station (ISS) commander Andreas Mogensen to ask, ‘When are you getting here already’, via Musk’s X, formerly Twitter.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule awaiting liftoff from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 3, 2024 (Picture: Chandan Khanna/ AFP)

Members of the NASA SpaceX Crew-8 (L-R) Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, NASA pilot Michael Barratt, commander Matthew Dominick, and mission commander Jeanette Epps ahead of liftoff (Picture: Cristobal Herrere-Ulashkevich/EPA)

The USA and Russia have continued sending joint crews to the International Space Station even in times of heightened tensions between the two powers (Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The SpaceX rocket launched into orbit on March 3 after three days of delays (Picture: Gregg Newton/AFP)

The reusable Falcon rocket delivered a Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavor, carrying the crew of four, to its initial orbit nine minutes after launch.

It is carrying Nasa’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin, is due to reach the ISS orbiting 250 miles above earth on Tuesday.

The new team will stay at the orbiting lab for six months, conducting more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations.

They are replacing a crew from the USA, Denmark, Japan and Russia, who have been aboard the ISS since August.

‘What an incredible ride to orbit’, flight commander Dominick, 42, radioed to control outside Los Angeles. ‘A big thank-you to SpaceX.’

He’s one of three spaceflight rookies aboard the SpaceX capsule alongside Nasa veteran Dr Barratt, 64, Reuters reported.

Dr Barratt, sat beside Dominick, said: ‘Really honoured to fly this new-generation spaceship with this new-generation crew.’

This is the eight long-duration crew flown to the ISS by a SpaceX launch vehicle since the rocket company, founded by billionaire Musk in 2002, started sending US astronauts into orbit in 2020.

The Dragon is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station, and it is currently the only spacecraft in operation able to returns large amounts of cargo to earth, according to the SpaceX website.

In use since 2010, the Falcon 9 has packed many firsts into its 14-year career.

The only US rocket certified for transporting humans to the ISS, it was the first commercial rocket to launch humans into orbit and it is still the only such vehicle to do so.

It’s also the first reusable rocket, and became the US rocket with the most launches in history, maintaining the best safety record with only one flight failure.

Other rocketships ordered by Nasa will arrive at the ISS during the crew’s six-month stay.

Boeing’s new Starliner capsule carrying test pilots is due in late April.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a mini-shuttle, is expected to arrive a month or two later carrying cargo to the station.

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