CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut along with a Swede and Italian launched Thursday to the International Space Station on a chartered SpaceX flight.
Their escort on the trip: A retired NASA astronaut who now works for the company that arranged the private flight.
Their capsule should reach the space station on Saturday.
Russia has been welcoming paid visitors to the space station for more than two decades; NASA didn't until two years ago.
With them is Michael Lopez-Alegria, who launched four times as a NASA astronaut before joining Axiom Space and escorting its first chartered flight.
Persons:
— Turkey’s, NASA’s, NASA didn't, Alper, ”, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, Walter Villadei, Michael Lopez, Alegria, “
Organizations:
International, SpaceX, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, NASA, Houston, Turkish Airlines, Swedish Aeroplane Corp, European Space Agency, Italian Air Force, Virgin Galactic, Space, Control, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP
Locations:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, Italian, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, Italy