La seconda volta di Samantha

Partita la missione Crew-4 verso la ISS

SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts, from left, pilot Bob Hines, mission specialist Jessica Watkins, commander Kjell Lindgren, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, of Italy, wave as they leave the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Complex 39-A Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The four astronauts will fly to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39-A Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, of Italy, blows a kiss to family members as she leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-A Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Photographers record a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off in this time exposure from Launch Complex 39-A Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, of Italy, smiles as she leaves the Operations and Checkout Building with fellow crew members Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on SpaceX's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, April 27, 2022. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the Crew Dragon spacecraft begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Dopo molti rinvii, dal Kennedy Space Center di Cape Canaveral, in Florida, è partita verso la Stazione Spaziale Internazionale (ISS) la missione Crew-4 di SpaceX (l’azienda spaziale di Elon Musk).

Tre degli astronauti a bordo sono della Nasa: Kjell Lindgren, comandante di missione, Robert Hines e Jessica Watkins. La quarta è la nostra Samantha Cristoforetti (al suo secondo volo spaziale) titolare della missione scientifica Minerva, durante la quale assumerà anche il ruolo di comandante del segmento orbitale americano (Usos).

La grande novità è che gli astronauti voleranno sulla nuova navetta spaziale privata Crew Dragon di SpaceX, chiamata Freedom (libertà). Il volo fa seguito alle polemiche sul destino della Stazione Spaziale Internazionale dopo la rottura tra Usa e Russia (due dei partner dell’impresa) in seguito alla guerra in Ucraina (AP Photo/John Raoux)