Miami, US (EFE).- A SpaceX Dragon capsule, from magnate Elon Musk’s company, departed at 11:43 am on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. On Thursday, the launch was suspended at the last minute, despite everything being ready, due to weather and clouds.
The astronauts, Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke of NASA, Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos, are expected to arrive at the ISS on Sunday.
They will replace the Crew-10 crew, who have spent seven months aboard the orbital laboratory and will now return to Earth.
“I have no emotions other than joy right now. That was absolutely transcendent; the journey of a lifetime. Thank you. It has been an incredible honour,” said Cardman, the mission commander, in a transmission upon reaching Earth’s orbit.
According to NASA, the mission will contribute to the Artemis campaign by simulating moon landing scenarios that astronauts might encounter at the south pole of the natural satellite and demonstrating how the space station can help crews prepare for “deep space exploration.”
They will also conduct experiments to address potential health issues that astronauts may face during deep space missions and future expeditions to Mars.
“Boy, it’s great to be back in orbit again. Thank you to SpaceX and NASA to get us here. What a ride!” said Fincke, the mission’s pilot.
The crew will also conduct research and technology demonstrations aboard the orbital laboratory, including studies on the effects of space on fluid pressure in the brain and changes to multiple bodily systems.
Some crew members will be part of the moon landing simulations to assess the effect of different gravitational forces on astronauts’ ability to pilot a spacecraft and how they can disorient them.
“Now I have the opportunity to train with this wonderful, amazing crew. Life is a journey. It takes many turns, and I’m just grateful to be here,” Cardman said in a video message.
This is SpaceX’s 11th crew rotation mission, tasked with relieving the four Crew-10 astronauts who arrived at the space laboratory in March.
The previous mission was tasked with rescuing astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded on the ISS for over nine months due to failures in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they had arrived in. EFE
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