Almost one year after its first manned flight, SpaceX has done it again, sending a third group of astronauts into orbit.
Friday morning, the SpaceX Crew Dragon launched successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reports People.
Two NASA astronauts, commander Shane Kimbrough and pilot Megan McArthur, were aboard the capsule. Also joining them aboard Endeavour were two mission specialists, astronaut Akihiko Hoshide from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency.
This is the first time in over 20 years that astronauts from all three space agencies were flying together, shared Kimbrough. “We’re excited to represent our nations, agencies, and all of humanity. Off the Earth and for the Earth, Endeavour is ready to go,” shared the commander prior to liftoff.
The astronauts will spend six months on the International Space Station.
The first all-civilian mission is slated to launch this fall onboard a SpaceX Dragon. The crew will consist of a CEO, a data engineer, a geoscientist, and a cancer survivor.
In late 2020, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that he is “highly confident” that the company will send humans to Mars no later than 2026.
“I think it’s important that we strive to have a self-sustaining city on Mars as soon as possible. I’m optimistic about the future on Earth, but I think it’s important to have life insurance for life as a whole,” said Musk, sharing that SpaceX hopes to “send an uncrewed vehicle” to the Red Planet in the next two years.
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