CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) 鈥� A SpaceX rocket carried four astronauts into orbit Wednesday night, including the 600th person to reach space in 60 years.
The repeatedly delayed flight occurred just two days after SpaceX brought four other astronauts home from the International Space Station. They should have been up there to welcome the newcomers, but NASA and SpaceX decided to switch the order based on Monday鈥檚 ideal recovery weather in the Gulf of Mexico.
鈥淚t was a great ride, better than we imagined," mission commander Raja Chari said after the spacecraft reached orbit.
Germany鈥檚 Matthias Maurer claimed the No. 600 position, according to NASA, based on his mission assignment. He and his three NASA crewmates should arrive at the space station in under 24 hours, well over a week late.
One of the astronauts 鈥� NASA isn鈥檛 saying which one 鈥� was sidelined last week by an undisclosed medical issue. The crew member is fully recovered, according to NASA. Officials won鈥檛 say whether it was an illness or injury, but noted it wasn鈥檛 COVID-19.
Bad weather also contributed to their flight delays.
Wednesday's night it was drizzling when the four astronauts said goodbye to their families, with umbrellas held over them. Forecasters promised the weather would improve and it did.
The list of 600 travelers ranges from those who have barely scratched space 鈥� like actor William Shatner last month 鈥� to U.S. and Russian astronauts who have spent a year or more in orbit. This year鈥檚 surge in space tourists helped push the tally over the 600 mark.
That averages out to 10 people per year since Yuri Gagarin鈥檚 pioneering flight in 1961, Maurer noted.
鈥淏ut I think in a very few years, we will see an exponential rise of that one because now we鈥檙e entering the era of commercial spaceflight,鈥� he said after arriving at NASA鈥檚 Kennedy Space Center two weeks ago.
The crew launch marked SpaceX鈥檚 fourth for NASA in 1 1/2 years and the company鈥檚 fifth passenger flight overall 鈥� a charter flight for four that skipped the space station. The Dragon capsule鈥檚 toilet leaked during their three days in orbit in September, necessitating a quick redesign of the flushing system in the newest capsule, named Endurance by its crew.
A balky parachute during Monday's descent had SpaceX engineers poring over the data, before giving the go-ahead for Wednesday鈥檚 launch. One of the four chutes opened more than a minute late, a problem seen in testing and well within safety limits, SpaceX officials said Tuesday.
Mauer is one of three newbies on the crew. The 51-year-old was a finalist when he first applied to be an astronaut with the European Space Agency. Encouraged, he left his research job at a medical company and joined the space agency as an engineer, and made the astronaut cut in 2015.
Also on board:
鈥� Raja Chari, 44, is an Air Force colonel and the first space rookie in decades to lead a mission to orbit for NASA. A test pilot from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Chari accumulated more than 2,500 hours in fighter jets, including combat missions in Iraq.
鈥� Dr. Thomas Marshburn, 61, will be the oldest person to live aboard the space station and perform a spacewalk. Born in Statesville, North Carolina, he pursued a career in emergency medicine, then joined NASA in 1994 as a flight surgeon. This is his third trip to the space station.
鈥� Kayla Barron, 34, a Navy lieutenant commander from Richland, Washington. She was among the first women to serve as submarine warfare officers. Added to the flight in May, she鈥檚 No. 601 in space.
During their six-month station stay, they will welcome two groups of tourists. A Russian film crew recently spent two weeks at the station, making a movie.
The new crew will be joining three station residents 鈥� two Russians and NASA's Mark Vande Hei, who celebrated his 55th birthday on Wednesday.
鈥淣ASA and @SpaceX are lighting a big candle in the sky for you tonight,鈥� NASA tweeted before the launch.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
