Japanese astronaut Wakata to take part in NASA's 5th Space mission

95
2
Japanese astronaut Wakata to take part in NASA's 5th Space mission

WASHINGTON Kyodo Koichi Wakata embarked on his fifth space mission, marking a new record among Japanese astronauts, aboard a U.S. SpaceX ship that was successfully launched from Florida on Wednesday.

The 59-year-old is one of four astronauts who will take part in NASA's fifth crew rotation mission to the International Space Station using the U.S. commercial spacecraft. The team will travel to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science and technology research mission.

It was a smooth ride and I see all the three happy faces here, said the veteran Japanese astronaut, clad in a sleek white spacesuit, after the liftoff.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release that missions like Crew 5 are proof that we are living in a golden era of commercial space exploration. The vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Hiroshi Sasaki, told a joint press conference with NASA and other officials that he hopes Wakata's rich experience will be shared with the other crew members to bring a fruitful outcome. Wakata's previous space flights include U.S. Space Shuttle flights in 1996, 2000 and 2009, and a Russian Soyuz flight in 2013. It will be his third long-term expedition at the ISS.

The Crew Dragon was developed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, as a successor to NASA's costly Space Shuttle transportation system that was in service for 30 years through 2011.

The SpaceX system is trying to reduce costs by reusing its spacecraft and rockets.

After its first manned test flight in May 2020, the Crew Dragon continued to send astronauts to the ISS. Two other Japanese astronauts -- Soichi Noguchi, 57, and Akihiko Hoshide, 53 -- have been on previous flights.

The other two members of the latest SpaceX Crew 5 mission are two NASA astronauts - Nicole Mann and the pilot Josh Cassada - as well as Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

The first spaceflight for Mann, Cassada and Kikina is planned, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Wakata and Kikina will serve as mission specialists.

The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock autonomously to the ISS at around 5 p.m. Thursday.

During their stay in the orbiting lab, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies on printing human organs in space and better understanding heart disease, according to NASA.