Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
SpaceX and NASA again dispatched four astronauts to the International Space Station or ISS, they were referred to as Crew-3.
The four astronauts are Raja Chari, Kayla Barron and Tom Marshburn from the United States and Matthias Maurer from Germany.
The four astronauts flew to the ISS in the Crew Dragon capsule mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Crew-3 is part of a collaborative project NASA and SpaceX signed after ending the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Its goal is to restore the US capacity to perform human flights into space.
Research in Space
The astronaut quartet will spend six months in orbit conducting research, helping to inform future space exploration that benefits life on Earth.
Scientific highlights of the mission include experiments to grow plants in space without soil or other growth media.
In addition, the mission also includes building optical fibers in microgravity, which previous research has shown will be superior in quality to those made on Earth.
The Crew-3 team of astronauts will also travel into space to complete upgrades to the station’s solar panels and will be present for two tourism missions.
This is SpaceX and NASA’s third operational mission as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Each mission, including Crew-3, is supposed to last six months.
SpaceX with the rockets and capsules they created is responsible for dispatching astronauts and also bringing them back home.
“Welcome to orbit. Hope you enjoy the journey from [Falcon 9]. Dragon will take you from here. Safe journey,” SpaceX mission controller told the crew as they separated from the rest of the rocket The Verge.
“It’s a pleasure to be a part of this mission with you. Enjoy your vacation among the stars. We’ll wave as you fly. Cheers,” said SpaceX’s launch director.
The four astronauts arrived safely at the International Space Station about 22 hours after the flight. The four are also said to be ready to begin their mission in outer space.
“Crew Dragon has officially reached the ISS,” said Courtney Beasley, NASA representative Space.
They will carry out more than 200 science experiments and make space trips while on board the station, which orbits an average of 250 miles, or about 400 kilometers above Earth.
The departure of Crew-3 was carried out a few days after Crew-2, which also consisted of four people, landed back on Earth after carrying out a 199-day mission on the ISS.
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