Falcon-9 rocket carrying Dragon spacecraft successfully launched
The Dragon spacecraft, carrying 4 crew members and belonging to the US space transport company SpaceX, was successfully launched by a Falcon-9 rocket.
12punto
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and space transport company SpaceX have begun their joint 'Crew-8' mission.
The Falcon-9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Reed Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 06:54 TSI.
It was announced that the first-stage booster of the Falcon-9 rocket, which features reusability, successfully returned to Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station following the launch.
The astronauts, who are expected to reach the International Space Station (ISS) after a journey of approximately 24 hours, are reported to be conducting more than 200 scientific experiments, including new research, during their 180-day mission.
LAUNCH HAD BEEN POSTPONED
NASA and SpaceX had aimed to launch the Crew-8 mission on February 22, but the preparation process for the mission was delayed due to the launch of an Intuitive Machines lunar lander from the same pad on March 18.
The launch, which was initially postponed to February 28 to complete preparations, was later delayed until today due to weather conditions.