On Sunday night, SpaceX's Crew-8 mission took off for the International Space Station (ISS), despite a last-minute scare involving a small crack in the capsule's hatch seal.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin into space.
The discovery of the crack nearly halted the launch, but after careful analysis, SpaceX engineers deemed the mission safe to proceed.
"We are confident that we understand the issue and we can fully still fly the whole mission safely," a SpaceX team member stated, ensuring that the crack's impact was well within safety analyses and would not pose a danger during reentry.
Following a successful launch, SpaceX celebrated by posting highlights on social media, including the Falcon 9's first-stage booster landing and the Crew Dragon's separation from the rocket's second stage.
Astronaut Michael Barratt described the launch experience from orbit as exhilarating, likening it to "a rollercoaster ride with a bunch of really excited teenagers."
The Crew Dragon is expected to dock with the ISS on Tuesday, March 5, at 3 a.m. ET.
Fans and followers can track the crew's progress to the space station in real time through SpaceX's live tracking website.
