{"id":11241,"date":"2022-10-05T22:53:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/u-s-russian-japanese-crew-lifts-off-from-florida-heading-for-space-station\/"},"modified":"2022-10-05T22:53:39","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:53:39","slug":"u-s-russian-japanese-crew-lifts-off-from-florida-heading-for-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/u-s-russian-japanese-crew-lifts-off-from-florida-heading-for-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew lifts off from Florida heading for space station"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Endurance spacecraft, carrying a crew of four, depart NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday heading for the International Space Station. Credit: Michael Cain \/ Spaceflight Now \/ Coldlife Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two NASA astronauts, a veteran Japanese space flier, and the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on a U.S. spacecraft since 2002 soared into orbit Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, in what could signal an easing of tension between NASA and the new leadership of the Russian space agency.<\/p>\n

The four-person crew took off from pad 39A at Kennedy at 12:00:57 p.m. EDT (1600:57 GMT) Wednesday, two days later than previously scheduled due to delays caused by Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida last week.<\/p>\n

Nine Merlin 1D engines on the bottom of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket ignited with a flash of orange, sending a plume of exhaust out of the launch pad\u2019s flame trench as hold-down clamps released to allow the 215-foot-tall (65-meter) launcher to climb away from the space center.<\/p>\n

The Falcon 9 vectored 1.7 million pounds of ground-shaking thrust from its nine engines to steer northeast away from the Florida spaceport, aligning with the flight path of the International Space Station. The rocket surpassed the speed of sound in less than a minute, then shut down its first stage engines about two-and-a-half minutes into the mission. After releasing the booster stage, the Falcon 9\u2019s second stage ignited a single engine to finish the job of placing SpaceX\u2019s Dragon Endurance crew capsule into orbit.<\/p>\n

NASA commander Nicole Mann, a U.S. Marine Corps colonel and former F\/A-18 test pilot, acknowledged periodic status reports from SpaceX mission control in California. The Falcon 9\u2019s upper stage cut off its engine nearly nine minutes after liftoff after reaching an on-target orbit. A few minutes later, the Dragon spacecraft deployed from the rocket to begin its automated pursuit of the space station.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much to the Falcon team,\u201d Mann radioed from the Dragon spacecraft. \u201cWoo! That was a smooth ride uphill. We\u2019ve got three rookies that are pretty happy to be floating in space right now, and one veteran astronaut who\u2019s pretty happy to be back as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mann is the first Native American woman to fly in space and the first woman to command a mission on a Dragon spacecraft.<\/p>\n