A private spacecraft carrying four astronauts, including Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, will be launched from the United States toward the International Space Station before 7:00 pm on the 23rd of Japan time, and the spacecraft is scheduled. The launch was successful after being put into the orbit.
Mr. Hoshide is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station after 6 pm on the 24th in his third space flight.
Akihiko Hoshide, a Japanese astronaut, and astronauts from the United States and France, a total of four people, boarded the second civilian spacecraft "Crew Dragon" at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
The "Falcon 9" rocket with the spacecraft at its tip was launched at 6:49 pm on the 23rd of Japan time, and ascended with a roaring sound while shining orange light.
The spacecraft was separated from the rocket in the planned orbit about 12 minutes later, and the launch was successful, and the four aviators, Mr. Hoshide and others, were making a happy gesture with their arms raised in the spacecraft. It was.
Mr. Hoshide is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station around 6:10 pm on the 24th of Japan time on his third space flight.
Mr. Hoshide will stay at the space station for about half a year, and will be the second Japanese captain after Mr. Koichi Wakata.
At the space station, there is currently Soichi Noguchi, who is staying for a long time, so at the launch of Mr. Hoshide, two Japanese people are staying in space at the same time, the first time since Mr. Noguchi and Mr. Naoko Yamazaki in 2010. Will be.
Mr. Noguchi, who was watching Mr. Hoshide's launch at the space station, posted on Twitter "I saw the launch of the dragon spacecraft on Mr. Hoshide on the ISS! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow" and succeeded. Congratulated.
Mr. Hoshide has been on board the "Space Shuttle" and "Soyuz" so far, so this time he will be on three different types of spacecraft, and it is the Japanese who boarded the three spacecraft. This is the second person after Mr. Noguchi.
This spacecraft and rocket were developed as a reusable type that can be used multiple times, and this time, for the first time in the launch with an aviator, the first stage of the spacecraft and rocket was used once again. I'm using.