BLAST OFF
SpaceX sends four astronauts to ISS on historic mission – as Elon Musk watches from home due to Covid
SPACEX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday night while Elon Musk appears to have been sidelined by the coronavirus.
Crew-1 was launched by the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:27 p.m., marking an important step in NASA’s plans to turn certain spaceflight duties over to private companies.
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The International Space Station is set to receive SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on Monday.
The Dragon capsule is the first spacecraft privately owned and operated to receive certification from NASA for human spaceflight. SpaceX received the important certification just days ago, .
It remains the only spacecraft currently capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the Space Station.
Musk, the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, apparently did not attend the launch after he tweeted this weekend he “most likely” has a moderate case of Covid-19.
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NASA policies state that anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus must quarantine and remain isolated, .
“Am getting wildly different results from different labs, but most likely I have a moderate case of Covid. My symptoms are that of a minor cold, which is no surprise, since a coronavirus is a type of cold,” .
When asked online how he was feeling, Musk praised the over-the-counter medicine Dayquil for managing his symptoms.
He : “A little up & down. Feels just like a regular cold, but more body achy & cloudy head than coughing/sneezing. DayQuil rocks.”
The tech giant seemed to remain positive on Sunday morning ahead of the expected launch.
“Astronaut launch today!” he tweeted.
The company that Crew Dragon’s first operational mission was “all systems go” even as teams said weather conditions in the hours before liftoff were only 50 percent favorable.
However, weather conditions reportedly improved and stayed in favorable conditions, allowing Crew-1 to launch.
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Of the four astronauts who launched on Sunday, three are Americans and one is Japanese.
Mike Hopkins, an Air Force colonel, will lead the crew which includes physicist Shannon Walker and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi -- all former space station residents.
Victor Glover, a rookie astronaut and Navy commander, also joins the team and will be the first Black astronaut to spend an extended period aboard the space station, AP reported.
"This mission is an important milestone for future international space missions," JAXA president Hiroshi Yamakawa said before the launch.
The mission comes just three months after a pair of NASA test pilots successfully concluded SpaceX’s first occupied flight of a Dragon crew capsule.
The capsule was named Resilience given all the challenges faced in 2020 -- particularly the global coronavirus pandemic.
NASA tweeted “We are ready to #LaunchAmerica. Are you?” strapped in and preparing for the launch on Sunday afternoon.
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Vice President Mike Pence, who from Cape Canaveral, tweeted support of President Donald Trump from the launch.
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"When @NASA @SpaceX Crew-1 Launches, it will be only the 2nd Time in Ten Years that Astronauts Launched on an American Rocket from American Soil!" .
He continued: "Thanks to President @realDonaldTrump, America is Leading in Space Again!"
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