SpaceX and NASA send international astronauts to space

SpaceX and NASA launched a crew of astronauts who hail from all over the world on a trip to the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday. The mission, which includes some historic firsts, moved forward even as rising geopolitical tensions brew on the ground.

The four crew members — astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada of NASA, astronaut Koichi Wakata of JAXA, or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and cosmonaut Anna Kikina of Roscosmos — took off aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft at 12 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here's what to expect next:

While we wait for the spacecraft to dock, you can check out some photos from today's launch here.

The former head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, was Dmitry Rogozin, and frequently made headlines during his tenure with bellicose rhetoric aimed at the United States.

At one point, he threatened to not only pull Russia out of its involvement in the International Space Station — but to crash it into the ground. (Roscosmos controls the propulsion on the ISS.)

Rogozin left his role at Roscosmos earlier this year. And when Sergei Krikalev, the executive director of Human Space Flight Programs at the Russian space agency Roscosmos, was asked whether the tonal shift that came after the leadership change was an attempt to ease the tensions, he replied with a single word:

“Yes.”

Despite Rogozin’s previous statements, Krikalev has said that Russia is fully committed to the ISS at least through 2024. And it could even seek an extension from there. He said in a previous press conference that Roscosmos could make an announcement about that as soon as next year.

The only limitation could be "technical reasons" for the aging space station, Krikalev said.

Sergei Krikalev, the executive director of Human Space Flight Programs at the Russian space agency Roscosmos, commented on the significance of Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina joining this mission.

He noted that Kikina joining the flight comes after a NASA astronaut Frank Rubio joined a recent Russian Soyuz mission.

Some background: In July 1975, two Russian cosmonauts were launched into space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft around the same time that three NASA astronauts launched on an Apollo spacecraft from the United States. Two days later, they met in space and shared a historic handshake — a symbol of post-Cold War cooperation.

The United States and Russia have routinely worked together on space exploration matters ever since.

"We will continue our cooperation as long as I can imagine,” Krikalev said.

At a post-launch news conference, Steve Stich, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, confirmed all is well with the Crew Dragon, which is now in orbit around the Earth and beginning its slow, 29-hour climb up to the space station. It's expected to dock there Thursday around 5 p.m. ET.

Every astronaut launch needs a Zero G indicator — and it can be anything. It serves a practical purpose: When it floats, it's a sign that the crew is experiencing weightlessness.

And it can serve a joyful purpose. Since any object not strapped down can serve as a Zero G indicator, astronauts have taken to bringing along stuffed toys.

They've included everything from a sequined dinosaur to a "baby Yoda" plush.

On this mission, the crew brought along a stuffed Albert Einstein doll.

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada explained the choice in a dispatch from the spacecraft:

Einstein, who first conceptualized the Theory of Relativity, had the "happiest thought of his entire life" when he realized that a "person in freefall can feel their own weight," Cassada said.

That thought is part of what led to the development of his famous theory, Cassada said.

Cassada said the Crew-5 astronauts are calling it their "freefall indicator."

For context: Being in Earth's orbit is being in freefall around the planet. The only reason that the spacecraft isn't immediately dragged back down by gravity is because it is traveling at such enormous speeds, fast enough that it begins to fall around the Earth.

"We're experiencing Einstein's happiest thought continuously, as the International Space Station has been doing for over 20 years," he said.

The SpaceX launch team celebrated the separation of the Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, with cheers, applause and a "Mean Girls" reference.

Fans celebrate Mean Girls on Oct. 3, the day that Aaron (played by Jonathan Bennett) asked Cady (played by Lindsay Lohan) what day it was, to which she replied, “It's October 3rd.”

The astronauts will spend 29 hours in the spacecraft as climbs toward the International Space Station, where they're expected to dock around 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday.

The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, is now flying free through Earth's orbit. The capsule uses small thrusters to stay oriented and help steer the spacecraft toward the International Space Station.

It's a slow and precise journey. The astronauts will spend 29 hours in the spacecraft as climbs toward the International Space Station, where they're expected to dock around 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday.

The first-stage rocket booster, which detached from the second-stage of the rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule, relit its engines one final time. It managed to come to a pinpoint landing on SpaceX’s droneship called “Just Read the Instructions” — so named in honor of sci-fi writer Iain Banks's “Culture” series.

SpaceX will haul the booster back to port and refurbish it to fly again.

This was the 137th booster landing for SpaceX since 2015.

The SpaceX rocket’s second stage is now finished firing, and the Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying the four astronauts, is now traveling fast enough to remain in orbit around the Earth.