Last Friday, SpaceX launched from the Kennedy Space Center (NASA) at 5:49 a.m., after extensive preparation to coordinate the mission to make it a success.
Space X launch from the Cape
On the Falcon 9 rocket, NASA and SpaceX will launch the Crew-2 flight, which will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station. It will light up the sky for those on the Space Coast, reported USA Today. After liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will target a drone ship landing just northeast of Florida.
There are several things to know about the Crew-2 launch; it was set for 5:49 a.m. Friday from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A, with an immediate launch window. The Falcon 9 rocket and its Crew Dragon capsule must depart on time or face a 24-hour delay in reaching the space station.
The members of the Crew-2 mission, of them, is Akihiko Hoshide. A Veteran astronaut, he will serve as a mission specialist for NASA and SpaceX's Crew-2 launch, serving his home country's Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency during the six-month journey to the International Space Station.
In 2012, he worked on the International Space Station as an exploration flight engineer for over two months. He performed experiments in the Kibo module, went on three spacewalks, and assisted in capturing SpaceX's first working Dragon capsule with the station's robotic arm in October of that year.
Another astronaut on Space X is Thomas Pesquet. The mission to the International Space Station, the French engineer, pilot, and astronaut, will act as a mission specialist and delegate for the European Space Agency.
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He will be the first European astronaut to fly in Crew Dragon, which is the only American spacecraft capable of transporting crews to the orbital outpost.
According to his official ESA profile, he enjoys physically challenging activities such as judo and mountain biking. He's also a saxophonist with a thirst for knowledge.
One of the members is a woman astronaut, Megan Arthur. She is an engineer, oceanographer, and former shuttle mission specialist who will pilot SpaceX's Crew-2 flight.
McArthur launched STS-125 from the same pad in 2009, so the launch of Crew-2 from pad 39A on Thursday will feel like a homecoming. She aided NASA's last mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope by carefully retrieving the 43-foot observatory using the shuttle's robotic arm over 12 days.
The last member is Shane Kimbrough. He will be part of NASA and SpaceX's Crew-2 flight to the International Space Station, a decorated Army aviator, and former space shuttle astronaut.
Kimbrough started working for NASA in 2000, but it took him four years to be selected as an astronaut. His first trip to space was on STS-126, a shuttle Endeavour mission to the International Space Station in 2008. Over 16 days, he completed nearly 13 hours of spacewalks.
SpaceX's Crew-2 launch is the company's second full-duration flight to the International Space Station and the third overall with astronauts. All four are veterans of the space shuttle or Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft.
From the launch to the flight of Space X to the International Space Station (ISS), the crew will be in for a six-month stay.
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