SpaceX launches US, Russia, UAE astronauts to space station

News Summary

  • Both were in space for about a week.Al-Neyadi will be joined this spring by two Saudi astronauts going to the space station on a short private SpaceX flight paid by their government.
  • “It may have taken two times, but it was worth the trip,” Bowen said.NASA’s space operations mission chief, Kathy Lueders, said Thursday’s launch enhanced a night sky already showcasing a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.
  • “It’s going to be really exciting, really interesting” to have three Arabs in space at once, he said last week.
  • Amazing,” he said.He served as backup for the first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa al-Mansoori, who rode a Russian rocket to the space station in 2019 for a weeklong visit.
  • The two planets have appeared side by side all week, seeming to grow ever closer.“We added a bright new star to that night sky tonight,” she told reporters.
  • “If you enjoyed your ride, please don’t forget to give us five stars.”The first attempt to launch them was called off Monday at the last minute because of a clogged filter in the engine ignition system.
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace WriterCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Thursday, including the first person from the Arab world [+3584 chars]