Four astronauts of different nationalities headed to the International Space Station today, Saturday.
They are expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory in their SpaceX capsule on Sunday, replacing four other astronauts who have lived there since March.
The NASA astronaut was joined at the pre-dawn take-off site at Kennedy Space Center by colleagues from Denmark, Japan and Russia.
This was the first American launch where each seat in the spacecraft was occupied by a person from a different country. Until now, NASA has always included two or three of its astronauts on SpaceX flights.
“We are a unified team with a common mission,” NASA’s Yasmine Mokbly said by radio from orbit.
The US Navy pilot, who serves as the commanding officer, said the composition of her crew demonstrates “what we can do when we work together in harmony”.
Ms. Mokbeli is accompanied by Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency, Satoshi Furukawa from Japan and Konstantin Borisov from Russia.
“To explore space, we have to do it together,” declared the Director General of the European Space Agency, Josef Ashbacher, a few minutes before take-off. “Space is truly global, and international cooperation is essential,” he said.
These astronauts’ journey into space is completely different.
Moqbali’s parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution. Born in Germany and raised on Long Island, New York, she joined the US Navy and flew attack helicopters in Afghanistan. She hopes to prove to Iranian girls that they can aim high too.
Mr. Mogensen worked on oil rigs off the coast of West Africa after obtaining an engineering degree. “In the future, we’re going to need space diggers,” he told people interested in his job choice, much like Bruce Willis’ character in the movie. disaster. He is convinced that the platform experience led to his selection as Denmark’s first astronaut.
For his part, Mr. Furukawa spent a decade as a surgeon before becoming an astronaut. Like Mogensen, this Japanese has already visited the space station.
Borisov, an aerospace novice, switched to engineering after studying business. He runs a freediving school in Moscow and referees the sport, in which divers avoid oxygen tanks and hold their breath underwater.
Another NASA astronaut is scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan in mid-September under an agreement with two Russians.
SpaceX has now launched eight crews for NASA.
Boeing was contracted at the same time nearly a decade ago, but has not yet flown in astronauts. His crew capsule has been shut down until 2024 due to various issues.
