BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — All eyes were on Caribou native Jessica Meir on Wednesday as she made her first journey to space, becoming the first woman from Maine to reach orbit.
A Soyuz MS-15 rocket carrying Meir, Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka and United Arab Emirates’ Hazzaa Ali Almansoori launched off at 9:57 a.m. ET.
Meir lifted off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome and was expected to arrive about six hours later at the International Space Station.
The shuttle was scheduled to dock at the ISS around 3:45 p.m. About two hours later, the ISS hatch would open and the three would be welcomed aboard.
Meir's expected to stay aboard the ISS for more than six months.
In March, Chris Cassidy of York will launch to the ISS. He and Meir's space missions are planned to overlap by a couple of weeks.
Here are Expedition 61's details:
Launch time: 9:57 a.m. ET / 6:57 p.m. local
(NASA coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET)
Astronauts:
- NASA's Jessica Meir
- Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka
- United Arab Emirates’ Hazzaa Ali Almansoori
Spacecraft: Soyuz MS-15
Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Destination: International Space Station
Journey: Four orbits, six hours
ISS docking: 3:45 p.m. ET
(NASA coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET)
ISS hatch opening: 5:45 p.m. ET
(NASA coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET)
Meir's expected tenure aboard ISS: 6+ months
Jessica Meir stories on NEWSCENTERmaine.com:
- Maine astronaut Jessica Meir blasts off to space Wednesday
- Caribou woman to launch to International Space Station
- Maine astronauts to shake hands in space
- Maine's Jessica Meir just weeks away from traveling to space
- An interview with both Maine astronauts
- Maine's own Jessica Meir prepares for first flight in space
- Astronaut and Caribou native Jessica Meir
- NASA astronaut visits hometown of Caribou