India, Poland and Hungary launched their first astronauts in more than 40 years on a private flight to the International Space Station after initial safety concerns.
The crew blasted off two weeks behind schedule because SpaceX had to fix an oxygen leak in its Falcon rocket.
US space agency NASA then put the crew's visit on hold to fix longtime air leaks on the Russian side of the International Space Station.
The three countries shared the tab for the two-week mission with a price tag estimated at around $65 million (€56 million) per customer, according to US-based company Axiom Space that arranged the flight.
The crew includes India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, a pilot in the Indian Air Force; Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer; and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a radiation expert and one of the European Space Agency’s project astronauts sometimes pressed into temporary duty.
Peggy Whitson, America's most experienced astronaut, is also aboard the mission.
'Space is for everyone'
Once opposed to nontraditional station guests, NASA now throws out the welcome mat at the International Space Station, charging for their food and upkeep while insisting that an experienced astronaut accompany them.
It’s all part of NASA’s push to open space — moon included — to private businesses. Axiom is among several US companies planning to launch their own space stations in the next few years.
The goal is for them to be up and running before the international station comes down in 2031 after more than three decades of operation.
Access to space “is not only for the biggest agencies anymore — space is for everyone,” Poland’s Uznanski-Wisniewski said ahead of liftoff. He repeated the sentiment upon reaching orbit.
Hungarians want to “sit at the same table with the giants,” said Kapu. Through this mission, “Hungary gets one step closer to the stars”.
