Crew-8 mission was successfully launched by SpaceX and NASA

SpaceX successfully launched its eighth crew rotation trip to the International Space Station, launching a crew of four using the Dragon spacecraft, following cancellations due to inclement weather.

The joint Crew-8 mission of SpaceX and NASA to the International Space Station was successfully launched on Sunday from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX flew a crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS) in the Dragon spacecraft. This was SpaceX’s eighth crew rotation trip to the ISS. The launch on Sunday was the third attempt; the first two had been cancelled due to inclement weather.

At 10:53 p.m., the mission successfully launched after engineers decided that a tiny fracture in the hatch seal wouldn’t cause enough problems to abort the launch. Just before 11 p.m., mission crew members on the ground rejoiced as the first-stage rocket separated and Dragon moved toward space.

The NASA astronauts are Russian Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who also serves as a mission specialist; pilot Michael Barratt; mission specialist Jeanette Epps; and commander Matthew Dominick of NASA. Barratt is on his third journey to the ISS, but for everyone else, it is their first voyage.

The Falcon 9 rocket, which SpaceX refers to as a “reusable, two-stage rocket,” launched the Dragon spacecraft. It was the first rocket of its kind to be made reusable. After separating from Dragon, it will land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The crew will stay at the ISS for six months before returning in the fall.