CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Launching towards the International Space Station on Sunday, four astronauts are embarking on a half-year mission overseeing the arrivals of two new rocketships. The SpaceX Falcon rocket, departing from Kennedy Space Center, is carrying NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin. Scheduled to reach the orbiting lab on Tuesday, they will be replacing a crew comprising members from the US, Denmark, Japan, and Russia, who have been stationed there since August.
Amidst a three-day delay attributed to high winds, space station commander Andreas Mogensen humorously queried, “When are you getting here already?”, via X, previously known as Twitter. SpaceX Launch Control attributed the delay as “fashionably late.” A near postponement was narrowly averted on Sunday night when a small crack in the seal of the SpaceX capsule’s hatch spurred last-minute inspections, ultimately determining the safety for the entire mission.
The incoming crew’s six-month tenure coincides with the anticipated deliveries of two rocketships commissioned by NASA. Boeing’s Starliner capsule, with test pilots on board, is expected to arrive by late April. Following this, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a miniature shuttle designed for cargo deliveries to the station, is slated to land a month or two later; however, it will not carry passengers yet.
Originally slated to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner, Epps encountered setbacks due to technical issues, leading NASA to switch her to SpaceX. Delighted upon reaching orbit, Epps, a Syracuse, New York native, exclaimed, “I am in a New York state of mind right now, it is amazing,” in reference to the famous Billy Joel song. Epps, the second Black woman assigned to a long station mission, expressed her pride in serving as a role model for Black girls, emphasizing that space exploration is a viable option for them as well.
Dominick, a former Navy pilot, and Grebenkin, a former Russian military officer, are both new to space exploration. Meanwhile, Barratt, a seasoned doctor on his third mission, is set to become the oldest full-time astronaut in space upon turning 65 in April. Despite his age, Barratt likened the mission to “a roller coaster ride with a bunch of really excited teenagers,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining health and fitness for space travel.
In a separate development, flight controllers are closely monitoring a growing cabin leak on the Russian side of the space station. The leak has reportedly doubled in size over the past few weeks, prompting the area to be sealed off. Nevertheless, NASA program manager Joel Montalbano affirmed that the leak poses no immediate threat to station operations or crew safety.
