NASA, SpaceX ace astronaut launch to the space station on Friday the 13th

NASA and SpaceX launched three astronauts and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station on Friday, Feb. 13. The nine Merlin 1D engines roared to life at 5:15 a.m. EST following a smooth countdown. It was the first time NASA conducted a crewed mission on a Friday the 13th. The SpaceX launch director said Friday the 13th turned out to be a very lucky day after the Dragon Freedom spacecraft separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage. Crew-12 commander Jessica Meir replied that the team had left Earth but the Earth had not left them, adding that everything is interconnected when viewed from above. The mission marked the second trip to space for Meir and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. It was the first flight for NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. The crew is scheduled to arrive at the station at about 3:15 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 14, to begin an eight-month mission. The launch was the first astronaut flight for NASA with Jared Isaacman serving as administrator. SpaceX completed its 20th human spaceflight mission. The Falcon booster landed at the new Landing Zone 40 recovery site. Weather prevented launches on Feb. 11 and 12. NASA performed a series of mini wet dress rehearsals with the Space Launch System rocket during the delay.