The Sankei Shimbun 
On March 15 JST, SpaceX Crew 10 Dragon successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center with four astronauts onboard, including Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi. (From NASA's Internet broadcast)
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A SpaceX Crew 10 Dragon carrying Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and three others blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:03 AM on March 15, Japan time. Onishi (49) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was joined by two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut as they headed to the International Space Station (ISS). It was put into the planned orbit about 10 minutes after the successful launch. The crew will arrive at the ISS the following day, March 16.
This will be Onishi's first stay on the ISS in nine years since his first flight on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2016. During his roughly six-month stay, he will conduct scientific experiments with a view to future manned lunar exploration.
Second Time's a Charm
Onishi and his colleagues first moved to the launch pad for departure on March 12. However, a few minutes before departure, the lift-off was scrubbed due to a ground hydraulics issue.
Two days later, at around 4:50 AM on March 15 JST (March 14 in Florida), Onishi began moving to the launch pad with three other astronauts from the US and Russia. They boarded the spacecraft mounted on the tip of the large Falcon 9 rocket at approximately 5:45 AM. This time, the launch was successful.
On board the craft, Onishi said, "Thank you to everyone in Japan for your overwhelming support. I am savoring the feeling of weightlessness for the first time in nine years and I look forward to continuing to enjoy this space journey to the ISS."
Onishi and his colleagues will replace four astronauts, two of whom have been on the ISS for 9.7 months. Two others will have logged nearly six months by the time they leave.
Onishi's last long stay on the ISS took place from July to October 2016. According to JAXA, this will be the first long-term stay on the ISS by a Japanese astronaut since Satoshi Furukawa returned a year earlier in March 2024.
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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