New ISS crew, commanded by Jewish American Jessica Meir, lifts off into orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida. (AP) — A new crew rockets toward the International Space Station to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at NASA’s request, sending the US, French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight- to nine-month mission stretching until fall. The four should arrive at the orbiting lab tomorrow, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.

“It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day,” SpaceX Launch Control radios once the astronauts reached orbit. “That was quite a ride,” replies the crew’s commander, Jewish American Jessica Meir.

NASA had to put spacewalks on hold and deferred other duties while awaiting the arrival of Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev. They’ll join three other astronauts — one American and two Russians — who kept the space station running the past month.