This is Frank Rubio, the first astronaut from El Salvador 2:26
(CNN Business) ––
A Russian capsule blasted off into space Wednesday with Salvadoran-born American astronaut Frank Rubio on board, marking a significant continuation of the US-Russia relationship on space issues, right in the middle. of a moment of great geopolitical tension.
The spacecraft lifted off from the famous Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying NASA's Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev for what is expected to be a six-month stay on the International Space Station.
Liftoff occurred at 9:54 am Miami time.
Who is Frank Rubio, the astronaut of Salvadoran origin who goes to the International Space Station
This is the first trip to space for Rubio, who will serve as flight engineer on this mission.
The astronaut, who is also a doctor, has experience as a flight surgeon.
Which means that he has the skills to take care of any medical problems that may arise during your trip.
Rubio, a Florida native, joined NASA in 2017. Before entering the astronaut corps, he graduated from the US Military Academy and earned an MD from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. .
He has more than 600 hours of combat experience in countries such as Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Rubio considers Miami his hometown, according to NASA, even though he was born in California and his mother lives in El Salvador.
When Rubio and the Russian cosmonauts arrive at the International Space Station, they will be teamed up with astronauts from the United States, Russia and Europe.
The space station, which has continuously accommodated people on board since 2000, has a rotating base of crew members to ensure that the orbiting laboratory has enough astronauts to maintain the space station's hardware and maintain the extensive record of ongoing experiments.
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The fact that Rubio travels to space in a Russian Soyuz capsule is something to note.
Astronauts of Hispanic origin were selected by NASA to integrate the mission that will go to the Moon in 2024
The history of ferrying humans to and from the International Space Station began when Russia and the United States had their own rockets to carry their citizens on that journey, which became a symbol of post-Cold War cooperation in the late 20th century. and the early 2000s. But after 2011, when NASA withdrew its space shuttle program, Russia's Soyuz capsules were the only option for American astronauts.
NASA has been paying up to $90 million for seats aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.
In 2020, that changed.
During the previous years, NASA devised its own plan to allow privatized companies to take over the task of transporting astronauts to and from the space station.
And Elon Musk's SpaceX has done it ever since, starting with the Demo-2 mission in 2020. And, more recently, preparing for the Crew-5 mission.
SpaceX launches have become routine for NASA, allowing it to regain some control over the ISS staffing.
However, tension between the United States and Russia reached a fever pitch after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February.
After sharing trips to space in Russian Soyuz vehicles for years, before SpaceX was on the scene, one of the big questions that arose was whether the US and Russia would continue to put their astronauts side by side on space missions. International Space Station.
That was answered in July when NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, confirmed they would continue to share rocket rides to the space station.
Russian cosmonauts are now expected to fly in SpaceX capsules, in addition to NASA astronauts sharing seats on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The United States and Russia are the main operators of the International Space Station, with both countries controlling its day-to-day operations.
Importantly, the Russian-controlled segment houses the propulsion needed to keep the station afloat in Earth orbit.
And NASA has repeatedly said that one of its goals is to ensure continued cooperation between the US and Russia in space.
Rubio, like many American astronauts before him, traveled to Russia to train with Russian cosmonauts before this mission.
"It's been a privilege to be here," he told CNN's Kristen Fisher during a news conference in August. "We have a pretty strong NASA team that's here to support the mission... I think we'd all say We feel safe," he added.
CNN's Kristen Fisher contributed to this story.
Frank Rubio
