Great News as Elon Musk's SpaceX Launches 4 Astronauts to ISS From Florida
- On a fact-finding mission, four astronauts have lifted off to space from Florida, US
- The crew was said to have left earth onboard a spacecraft on Friday, April 23
- The astronauts are expected to get to International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, April 24
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As part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission, four astronauts from three nations took off for the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida.
The spacecraft, boarded by four astronauts, was launched in the early hours of Friday, April 23, ABC News reports.
Source: Twitter
The astronauts, expected to stay in the station for six months, are Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide, and Thomas Pesquet.
Speaking on the readiness of the scientists for the mission, Steve Jurczyk, NASA's acting administrator, said:
"I met with the crew last night, they are ready to go. I asked them what they look forward to most in the mission, and they said launching and getting up on station and getting to work."
The spacecraft, scheduled to dock to the space station by Saturday, April 24, was built by Elon Musk's spacefaring firm which has flown astronauts more than twice.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Africa was yet to send an African-born astronaut to space, but most countries on the continent continue to bolster programs towards achieving that milestone.
It had been estimated that a combined figure of more than $7 billion (approximately N2 trillion) has been sunk into space programs by Nigeria, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Rwanda.
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The names of five African-born women were conspicuous in these programs for their leadership roles in the growing venture.
One of such persons, Abimbola Alale, had been at the helm of the Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) since her appointment by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in February 2014.
Before ascending to the position of Chief Executive Officer, Alale had held the Executive Director of Marketing at the company since it was founded in 2006.
She holds a degree in Space Studies and as well as a Masters from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France.
Source: Legit.ng
