![]() In fact, Barron has never seen a rocket launch before. Marshburn, who is the only veteran space flyer on the Crew-3 mission, told prior to launch that he was really looking forward to experiencing spaceflight with his three crewmates who have never been to space. ![]() Already back in Houston and with their families, the crew left NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in charge of acquainting the Crew-3 crew members with the ISS. Those astronauts strapped into their own Dragon and departed the space station on Monday afternoon, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico hours later. To that end, the agency decided it was best to bring the previous group of astronauts - NASA's Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA's Thomas Pesquet and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akihiko Hoshide - home before launching their replacements. (NASA did not elaborate on the issue due to privacy reasons for the astronaut.) It was delayed further by continued bad weather and a minor medical issue with one of the astronauts. Poor weather along the rocket's flight path pushed back the launch a few days. SpaceX's Crew-3 astronauts are seen inside their Crew Dragon Endurance ahead of a planned launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A on Nov. 26, days before their planned Halloween launch. Chari, Marshburn, Barron and Maurer arrived in Florida on Oct. The picture-perfect launch occurred just 12 days after it was originally scheduled to blast off. While the rocket was one of SpaceX's veteran flyers, launching on its second mission, the Dragon Crew capsule was brand new.ĭubbed Dragon Endurance by its Crew, the capsule is carrying Crew-3 on a six-month mission aboard the ISS. The Crew-3 launch marked the 25th launch of the year here in Florida and the 24th so far this year for SpaceX. "We're honored to fly Endurance on Veterans Day and we're proud to represent the SpaceX and NASA teams as we live and work on the ISS for the next six months." "Sometimes when you try to fly on Halloween, you get a trick instead of a treat," Chari radioed SpaceX flight controllers just before liftoff. Once the Falcon 9's first stage engines ignited, the rocket put on a breathtaking show as the glow from the engines lit up the night sky. "It was another great experience seeing those four take off into space tonight." "What a beautiful launch," NASA associate administrator Bob Cabana said during the live broadcast. The crew seemed relaxed and ready for the action as the minutes ticked away. (Image credit: Joel Kowsky/NASA)įollowing a series of weather-related delays, the Crew-3 launch countdown proceeded smoothly, with the closeout crews completing critical leak and communications checks ahead of schedule. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches four astronauts to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Station in Florida on the Crew-3 mission on Nov.
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