A SpaceX ship lifted off Sunday bound for the International Space Station with U.S. and Japanese astronauts aboard, another step in NASA's effort to make the commercially developed craft a viable option to regularly ferry humans to the orbiting laboratory.
The Crew Dragon space capsule, developed by U.S. aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:27 p.m. from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will be the Crew Dragon's second manned flight to the ISS and the first with a Japanese astronaut -- Soichi Noguchi, 55.
"This is a great day for the United States of America and a great day for Japan, and we look forward to many more years of great partnership, not just in low Earth orbit but all the way to the Moon," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at a press conference held after the launch.
Hiroshi Sasaki, a vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, called Noguchi's participation "significant" for his agency.
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The launch date was pushed back by one day due to unfavorable weather conditions. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS at about 11 p.m. Monday, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 became the first commercial human spaceflight system to win NASA certification for crew missions to and from the ISS following its successful manned test flight earlier this year, the U.S. space agency said earlier this month.
The system is expected to serve as a successor to NASA's Space Shuttle program that was in service for 30 years through 2011, ending years of reliance on the Russian Soyuz vehicle as the sole means of accessing the ISS.
The Crew-1 mission on Sunday will be the first of three scheduled Crew Dragon flights over the course of 2020 and 2021, according to SpaceX, officially known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Its team is led by spacecraft commander Michael Hopkins and two other NASA astronauts. Together with Noguchi, a mission specialist, they will stay on the ISS for approximately six months and conduct scientific experiments, among other activities.
Noguchi is a veteran with experience from two previous space missions, having been aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2005 and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 161-day stay on the ISS between 2009 and 2010.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is 8.1 meters tall with a diameter of 4 meters, is made up of a capsule that carries people and a trunk that is partly covered in solar panels.
At the conclusion of the six-month mission, the Crew Dragon, with the four astronauts aboard, will undock from the ISS and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Its trunk separates before re-entry and after splashdown off the Florida coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by a recovery vessel.
Under its commercial crew program that dates back to 2010, NASA has worked with several American aerospace companies to create a safe, reliable and cost-effective method of transport to and from the ISS.
NASA has seen the latest development as introducing a "new era in human spaceflight" where the U.S. space agency becomes just one of many customers for commercial space transportation services leading to numerous providers competing on cost and innovation.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden described the liftoff in his Twitter post as a "testament to the power of science" and wished the astronauts "Godspeed on their journey," while President Donald Trump tweeted it was "a great launch."
Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX on today's launch. It’s a testament to the power of science and what we can accomplish by harnessing our innovation, ingenuity, and determination. I join all Americans and the people of Japan in wishing the astronauts Godspeed on their journey.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 16, 2020
Noguchi's wife Miwa said the launch was "extremely impressive" and that she looks forward to "a successful mission as (the astronauts) strive in their work, to be sure to bring to the next generation (new) technology, spirit and hope."
Children from schools Noguchi had attended as a child in the western Japan prefecture of Hyogo and near Tokyo in Kanagawa, watched the spacecraft's launch with bated breath at public viewings.
Applause resounded at a community hall in Taishi, Hyogo Prefecture, where some 100 people including sixth-graders from Noguchi's elementary school and their parents watched the spacecraft's successful launch at a public viewing.
The audience watched mesmerized even as they refrained from shouting in glee in accordance with measures to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"I have a big dream to be an actress, and I want to be a brilliant adult like Mr. Noguchi. I hope he comes home safely," said 12-year-old Aoi Kojima, one of the children.
Hirofumi Terada, Noguchi's 72-year-old former teacher, said he was happy for his former student, while worrying about the 55-year-old astronaut's physical fitness. But he said that he was relieved to see the spacecraft blast off without a hitch.
At another public viewing at an elementary school gym in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, around 150 sixth-graders and others shouted, "Have a good trip" as the rocket soared.
"I was happy that the launch was successful. I want to do my best like Mr. Noguchi as I prepare for my junior school entrance exams," said Shimon Tashiro, 12, who also said he wants to develop space food in the future.
