WATCH: Spectacular Scenes from Florida as SpaceX Sends 4 New Astronauts to International Space Station
Spectacular scenes played out over Florida’s Atlantic coast on Friday as SpaceX sent four new astronauts to the International Space Station in the early hours of the morning.
Observers near the Kennedy Space Center shared numerous photographs on social media of the Falcon 9 spacecraft headed to the station 250 miles above Earth, including official accounts for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, just after its 5:49 morning launch. Others shared photos as it passed overhead in regions to the north — including Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with Crew Dragon atop, as seen from #WaltDisneyWorld Resort, after launching early Friday morning, April 23, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (?: David Roark, Kent Phillips) pic.twitter.com/D2bjdnH7nE
— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) April 23, 2021
Watching the @SpaceX launch from Florida’s fastest launch coaster. ? ? pic.twitter.com/omQxImrQuE
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) April 23, 2021
This was absolutely mind blowing ? #Crew2 ? #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/MIcN5CM4sx
— Eric DeSalvo ? (@EricDeSalvo) April 23, 2021
I have viewed a lot of launches from southeast Georgia, but this morning’s was the best yet! @SpaceX pic.twitter.com/WxuSuDxfwa
— Jeremy Nelson (@jnelsonWJCL) April 23, 2021
The @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in the distance behind the @uscapitol in Washington as it was launched from @NASAKennedy to @Space_Station. More launch photos coming, keep checking back! ? https://t.co/56Am0ERBaK pic.twitter.com/C7ZbImr7an
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) April 23, 2021
Here’s another photo of the @SpaceX Falcon 9 passing over #Pittsburgh earlier this morning. A truly breathtaking experience! pic.twitter.com/hDnMdGfxCA
— Dustin McGrew Photography (@mcgrewphoto) April 23, 2021
My husband took these amazing pictures of the #SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lift off from Cape Canaveral. ??????????? @TroyNews6 @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/AGdA0jBHpB
— KittyGalore27 (@tatisbg27) April 23, 2021
Watch Crew-2 astronauts check in LIVE from space!
? Take a look inside @SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour currently on its way to the @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/ajdTjhDnqs
— NASA (@NASA) April 23, 2021
So proud of you, bro ❤️
Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent four more astronauts into orbit. It is the first time it has achieved takeoff with both a pre-used capsule and rocket. https://t.co/6Vd8KrH31V
— Kimbal Musk (@kimbal) April 23, 2021
The flight was the third manned flight that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has conducted in fewer than 11 months. The rocket included two Americans — NASA’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough — along with Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and the European Space Agency’s Thomas Pesquet, a French citizen. The group is scheduled to spend six months in space before returning to Earth with a splash in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Crew Dragon craft is expected to dock at the station about 23 hours after its launch, Fox 35’s Elina Shirazi noted, or roughly 5 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.
Watch above via Fox 35.
