Takuya Onishi and three fellow crew members embarked Friday 14th on a mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket launched from Florida.
Onishi, traveling in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule with American and Russian colleagues, is making his second trip to the ISS as part of NASA's mission, having last participated in 2016. This time, he is scheduled to orbit the Earth for around six months.
"Thank you to everyone in Japan for your support. I'm savoring the feeling of weightlessness for the first time in nine years. I hope to keep enjoying my space journey," Onishi said aboard the spacecraft.
Provided by Kyodo News
The crew will conduct experiments on carbon dioxide removal technology necessary for Gateway, a space station that will orbit the Moon as a centerpiece of the U.S.-led Artemis Moon exploration program.
The 49-year-old former All Nippon Airways pilot will assume the post of ISS commander, making him the third Japanese astronaut to lead a mission. Koichi Wakata led the ISS in 2014 and Akihiko Hoshide in 2021.
It was the second launch attempt by the spacecraft after its initially scheduled departure Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was aborted due to a ground system malfunction.
Provided by Kyodo News
Two astronauts from the United States who arrived aboard a new spacecraft in June 2024 under former President Joe Biden's administration have been stranded on the ISS for about nine months because of a defect in the vehicle.
President Donald Trump instructed Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, to return the two astronauts as soon as possible, meaning Onishi's departure, originally planned for late March, was brought forward. The two are set to return to Earth after a few days of handover.