SpaceX capsule with 4 astronauts reaches space station

Published November 17, 2020
In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon is seen after docking at the International Space Station late on Monday. — AP
In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon is seen after docking at the International Space Station late on Monday. — AP
In this frame grab from NASA TV, SpaceX Dragon crew, from front left to right, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi stand with International Space Station crew Kate Rubins, from back left, Expedition 64 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov during a welcome ceremony early on Tuesday. — AP
In this frame grab from NASA TV, SpaceX Dragon crew, from front left to right, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi stand with International Space Station crew Kate Rubins, from back left, Expedition 64 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov during a welcome ceremony early on Tuesday. — AP
In this frame grab from NASA TV, astronaut Mike Hopkins, center, is greeted by astronaut Kate Rubins, left, as he enters the International Space Station from the vestibule between the SpaceX Dragon capsule and the ISS early on Tuesday. — AP
In this frame grab from NASA TV, astronaut Mike Hopkins, center, is greeted by astronaut Kate Rubins, left, as he enters the International Space Station from the vestibule between the SpaceX Dragon capsule and the ISS early on Tuesday. — AP

SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived on Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.

The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center. The linkup occurred 422 kilometers above Idaho.

“Oh, what a good voice to hear,” space station astronaut Kate Rubins called out when the Dragon’s commander, Mike Hopkins, first made radio contact.

“We can’t wait to have you on board,” she added after the two spacecraft were latched together.

This is the second astronaut mission for SpaceX. But it’s the first time Elon Musk’s company delivered a crew for a full half-year station stay. The two-pilot test flight earlier this year lasted two months.

The three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April. And so it will go, with SpaceX — and eventually Boeing — transporting astronauts to and from the station for NASA.

This regular taxi service got underway with Sunday night’s launch.

Hopkins and his crew — Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi — join two Russians and one American who flew to the space station last month from Kazakhstan. Glover is the first African-American to move in for a long haul. A space newcomer, Glover was presented his gold astronaut pin Monday.

The four named their capsule Resilience to provide hope and inspiration during an especially difficult year for the whole world. They broadcast a tour of their capsule Monday, showing off the touchscreen controls, storage areas and their zero gravity indicator: a small plush Baby Yoda.

Walker said it was a little tighter for them than for the two astronauts on the test flight.

“We sort of dance around each other to stay out of each other’s way,” she said.

For Sunday’s launch, Nasa kept guests to a minimum because of coronavirus, and even Musk had to stay away after tweeting that he “most likely” had an infection. He was replaced in his official launch duties by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who assured reporters he was still very much involved with Sunday night’s action, although remotely.

As they prepared for the space station linkup, the Dragon crew beamed down live window views of New Zealand and a brilliant blue, cloud-streaked Pacific 250 miles below.

“Looks amazing,” Mission Control radioed from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

“It looks amazing from up here, too,” Hopkins replied.

Opinion

Editorial

Economic plan
Updated 02 Jan, 2025

Economic plan

Absence of policy reforms allows the bureaucracy a lot of space to wriggle out of responsibility.
On life support
02 Jan, 2025

On life support

PAKISTAN stands at a precarious crossroads as we embark on a new year. Pildat’s Quality of Democracy report has...
Harsh sentence
02 Jan, 2025

Harsh sentence

USING lawfare to swiftly get rid of political opponents makes a mockery of the legal system, especially when ...
Looking ahead
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

Looking ahead

The dawn of 2025 brings with it hope of a more constructive path to much-needed stability.
On the front lines
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

On the front lines

THE human cost of terrorism in 2024 was staggering. The ISPR reports 383 officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom...
Avoiding reform
01 Jan, 2025

Avoiding reform

PAKISTAN’S economic growth significantly slowed down to a modest 0.92pc during the first quarter of the present...