SpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on the first fully fledged taxi flight for Nasa by a private company. The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Centre carrying the second crew to be launched by SpaceX. The Dragon capsule on top – named Resilience by its crew in light of this year’s many challenges, most notably Covid-19 – is due to reach the space station early on Tuesday UK time and remain there until spring. The flight to the space station – 27.5 hours door to door – should be entirely automated, although the crew can take control if needed. The space station soared over the launch site a mere half-minute before liftoff.

Source: Irish Independent November 16, 2020 00:56 UTC