Created 27-Aug-23
Modified 11-Sep-23
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excerpts from spaceflightnow.com:
Running a day late, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying a NASA commander, a Danish co-pilot, a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut rocketed into orbit early Saturday and set off after the International Space Station for a six-month tour of duty.
With Marine Corps helicopter test pilot Jasmin Moghbeli and European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen monitoring cockpit displays, the crew’s Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at 3:27 a.m. EDT and majestically climbed away from historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center atop 1.7 million pounds of thrust.
Launching on a northeasterly trajectory that matched that of the space station, the Falcon 9 smoothly accelerated as its nine first-stage engines consumed propellants, putting on a fiery overnight spectacle for area residents and tourists.
Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the first stage was jettisoned to fly itself back to a successful landing at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while the second stage continued the climb to orbit.
Nine minutes after liftoff, the second stage engine shut down as planned and three minutes after that, the Crew Dragon spacecraft was released to fly on its own.
Full story here:
Running a day late, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying a NASA commander, a Danish co-pilot, a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut rocketed into orbit early Saturday and set off after the International Space Station for a six-month tour of duty.
With Marine Corps helicopter test pilot Jasmin Moghbeli and European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen monitoring cockpit displays, the crew’s Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at 3:27 a.m. EDT and majestically climbed away from historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center atop 1.7 million pounds of thrust.
Launching on a northeasterly trajectory that matched that of the space station, the Falcon 9 smoothly accelerated as its nine first-stage engines consumed propellants, putting on a fiery overnight spectacle for area residents and tourists.
Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the first stage was jettisoned to fly itself back to a successful landing at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while the second stage continued the climb to orbit.
Nine minutes after liftoff, the second stage engine shut down as planned and three minutes after that, the Crew Dragon spacecraft was released to fly on its own.
Full story here:
© Dennis Huff
