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Crew 10 Launches At Sunset, On Its Way To ISS

Falcon 9 rising off of LC-39A Friday evening
Photo: Derek Newsome

It was a good day to have a good day here in Florida, and that’s exactly what NASA, SpaceX and Crew 10 had today at Kennedy Space Center.

Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut toward orbit and the International Space Station just as the sun was starting to set in the west. Some seven and a half minutes later, SpaceX booster B1090 completed its duty for the day by landing at LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, 8.8 miles south of LC-39A.

Liftoff of Crew 10. Photo: Charles Boyer

Mechanical issues had delayed this launch, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th, but hydraulic issues with ground-side equipment scotched that attempt, with the second launch attempt planned for today. This evening’s attempt was literally picture-perfect, and Falcon 9 rose like clockwork after a quiet countdown.

Can’t help but cheer: press photographers capturing the launch of Crew 10.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville

Crew Dragon Endurance is now in orbit, with NASA Astronauts Anne McClain,  Nichole Ayers, JAXA Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov aboard. The spacecraft will track down ISS, with docking planned to dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

While not officially announced by SpaceX, Starlink 12-16 is expected to launch early Saturday morning.

Crew 10 Launch Gallery

Photo: Derek Newsome
Photo: Derek Newsome
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