ALBAWABA - SpaceX and NASA launched Thursday a new mission to the International Space Station, where astronauts will remain for nearly six months in space.
Two NASA astronauts were joined by a Russian cosmonaut and an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.
Liftoff! Dragon takes flight!#Crew6 launched at 12:34am ET (0534 UTC) March 2, lighting up the skies as the crew heads to orbit in the @SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/lEgqJmRu76
— NASA (@NASA) March 2, 2023
The Crew Dragon, the vehicle carrying the four astronauts took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:34 a.m. ET (5:34 GMT) Thursday.
The UAE astronaut, Sultan Alneyadi tweeted a goodbye message to followers before taking off. He promised another tweet when the mission, known as Crew-6, docks on Friday.
"The next time I will (write) to you will be when I arrive at the International Space Station, God willing," Alneyadi tweeted in Arabic-language, translated by Albawaba.
He promised to wave the UAE flag in space.
في المرة المقبلة التي سأكلمكم بها سأكون بإذن الله على متن محطة الفضاء الدولية.. ?
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) March 2, 2023
سأكلمكم وعلى ذراعي علم الإمارات.. و في قلبي #طموح_زايد .. ??
دعواتكم و إلى لقاءٍ قريب من الفضاء..
أخوكم سلطان النيادي pic.twitter.com/FusEJqeEnK
CNN reported that the Crew Dragon detached from the "rocket after reaching orbit, and it’s expected to spend about one day maneuvering through space before linking up with the space station."
The capsule is slated to dock at 1:17 a.m. ET (6:17 GMT) on Friday, according to NASA.
It was the second attempt to get the mission off the ground. The first launch was grounded on Monday by what described as a clogged filter.
