Turkiye’s First Astronaut Joins International Space Station Crew
Cape Canaveral, The Gulf Observer: In a historic event, Turkiye’s first astronaut, along with three European crew members, embarked on a groundbreaking journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. The mission was facilitated by the Texas startup Axiom Space, marking the latest in commercially arranged spaceflights.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, carrying the Axiom quartet, gracefully ascended atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, an hour before sunset. The launch, meticulously captured on an Axiom-SpaceX joint webcast, initiated a planned 36-hour flight to the orbiting laboratory.
The autonomously operated Crew Dragon is expected to rendezvous with the ISS early on Saturday morning, docking with the outpost orbiting approximately 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The space station is presently occupied by seven regular crew members.
Viewers witnessed the awe-inspiring launch, with the two-stage 25-story-tall launch vehicle piercing through partly cloudy skies over Florida’s Atlantic coast, leaving a fiery, yellowish tail of exhaust in its wake.
Live footage from cameras inside the crew compartment revealed the four astronauts, including Turkey’s inaugural space traveler, securely strapped into their pressurized cabin. Clad in helmeted white-and-black flight suits, they maintained a calm composure as the rocket propelled them towards space.
Nine minutes post-launch, the Falcon 9’s upper stage flawlessly delivered the crew capsule to its preliminary orbit.
Responding to congratulations from mission control, Flight Commander Michael López-Alegría communicated from the Crew Dragon, stating, “As I was saying, it’s a team sport. Thank you, guys.”
Moments earlier, the rocket’s reusable lower stage, after detaching from the spacecraft, executed a precise return to Earth, safely touching down on a landing zone near the launch site. The achievement prompted audible cheers from the control room.
This mission marks the third successful flight organized by Axiom Space over the past two years. Houston-based Axiom is progressively expanding its venture of putting astronauts, sponsored by foreign governments and private enterprises, into Earth orbit. Each astronaut seat is priced at a minimum of $55 million, reflecting the growing commercialization of space exploration.
