SpaceX rocket blasts off to rescue astronauts stranded on ISS for nine months
Lift-off has taken place at NASAâ??s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket blasted off successfully in its mission to rescue two stranded astronauts
Lift-off has taken place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket blasted off successfully in its mission to rescue two stranded astronautsThe SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft stands ready for launch (
Image: AP)
A SpaceX rocket has blasted off to rescue NASA’s stranded astronauts from the International Space Station.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been in space for nine months, but they are now expected to be able to return home within days of the Elon Musk's SpaceX mission reaching the ISS.
NASA wrote on X: "Have a great time in space, y'all! #Crew10 lifted off from @NASAKennedy at 7:03pm ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14."
The Falcon 9 rocket headed off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after a launch last Wednesday had to be delayed. A problem with the hydraulic system was found four hours before liftoff .
As the countdown clocks ticked down, engineers evaluated the hydraulics used to release one of the two arms clamping the rocket to its support structure. This structure needs to tilt back right before liftoff.
Already strapped into their capsule, the four astronauts awaited a final decision, which came down with less than an hour remaining in the countdown. SpaceX cancelled for the day. Officials later said the launch was off until Friday.
And this time the Crew-10 mission made up of Americans, Japanese and Russians was able to blast off to replace Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams who have been at the ISS since last June. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are joined by Takuya Onishi, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Butch Williams and Suni Wilmore on the International Space Station (Image:
NASA)The two test pilots had to move into the space station for an extended stay after Boeing’s new Starliner capsule encountered major breakdowns in transit. Starliner’s debut crew flight was supposed to last just a week, but NASA ordered the capsule to return empty and transferred Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX for the return leg.
A NASA statement on Thursday said that everything was now on course for the liftoff today. “SpaceX ground teams completed inspections of the ground support hydraulics system used for the clamp arm supporting the Falcon 9 rocket and successfully flushed a suspected pocket of trapped air in the system,” it said.
Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, pictured alongside Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov (Image:
Getty Images)“I am extremely proud of our NASA and SpaceX ground engineers and joint operations teams in quickly identifying and resolving this issue,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “I’m especially proud of the team’s systematic approach throughout the countdown, analyzing data and making thoughtful decisions to ensure the integrity of our mission. Their commitment to both excellence and safety is a true testament to the strength of this integrated team.”
The statement from NASA continued: "NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will fly to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
The four astronauts were ready to go - before the mission was called off on Wednesday (Image:
@SpaceX)"A regular crew rotation mission aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-10 team will be part of the Expedition 72/73 crew while on station where they will perform dozens of science experiments during their several-month stay in orbit. After arriving at the station for docking about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, the Crew-10 members will spend a couple of days familiarizing themselves with the station’s systems.
"Crew-10 will rotate roles with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew, including agency astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The Crew-9 mission, which has a separate Dragon spacecraft already docked to the space station, will then undock from the orbiting laboratory and return the Earth. Crew-9 undock is scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday, March 19."
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