A SpaceX rocket successfully lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center overnight Thursday in a historic launch postponed days earlier due to technical problems.
Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates is among the four astronauts aboard the Dragon capsule, making him the second person from the country to travel to space. With a mission scheduled to last six months, al-Neyadi will become the first Arab astronaut to have an extended trip.
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“We don’t want to just go to space and then not have much to do there or not have impact,” said Salem al-Marri, director general of UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
The country’s advanced technology minister, Sarah al-Amiri, said the trip “provides us a new venue for science and scientific discovery for the country.”
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the crew capsule Endeavour lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, March 2, 2023. (John Raoux/AP)
Al-Neyadi was joined on the flight to the International Space Station by veteran space traveler Stephen Bowen and first-timer Warren “Woody” Hoburg, both of NASA, as well as Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev, who is also making his first trip.
The capsule is expected to arrive at the space station Friday. SpaceX shared updates about Thursday’s launch on Twitter, the social media platform owned by the space company’s founder, Elon Musk.
A sphere of light surrounded the Falcon 9 rocket as it lifted off from the NASA space center shortly after midnight.
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“We added a bright new star to that night sky tonight,” said Kathy Lueders, who leads NASA’s human spaceflight program.
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The launch was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed moments before liftoff after detection of a clogged filter.
“It may have taken two times, but it was worth the trip,” Bowen said Thursday.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Pad 39-A Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts are beginning a mission to the International Space Station. (Chris O’Meara/AP)
The launch was broadcast in UAE, including in Dubai, while dozens of people from the country watched live from the Kennedy Center. Hazzaa al-Mansoori visited space for a week in 2019, making him the first Emirati astronaut to make the trip.
A pair of Saudi astronauts are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station in the spring. Al-Neyadi says he’s excited for two more Arab astronauts to arrive, calling the venture “really interesting.”
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“Our region is also thirsty to learn more,” al-Neyadi said.
With News Wire Services
SEE IT: SpaceX makes historic launch in the middle of the night
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