BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Falcon 9 engines roared to life just after 7 p.m. Friday, kicking off what became a smooth second attempt to get Crew 10 into the sky.
After a hydraulic issue canceled their first launch attempt Wednesday, the four-person astronaut team began their journey to the International Space Station with zero hiccups.
The 28-hour journey starts the countdown clock to the return of Crew 9, which includes Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
The two astronauts were supposed to stay in space for a few days last summer, but their mission was extended past nine months after the Starliner was deemed too risky to return to earth in.
The normal five-day handover has been shaved down to just two days, after which Crew 10 will assume full control of the ISS.
Wilmore and Williams, plus Nick Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are expected to splash down off Florida’s coast sometime mid-week, as long as there are no surprises.
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