In space there’s no social distancing

Three astronauts have flown to the International Space Station, departing the virus-plagued planet with little fanfare.

The Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Picture: Roscosmos via AFP

Three astronauts have flown to the International Space Station, departing the virus-plagued planet with little fanfare and no family members at the launch site to bid them farewell.

NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russians Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner arrived at the orbiting lab in their Soyuz capsule six hours after blasting off from Kazakhstan on Thursday. They joined two Americans and one Russian, who will return to Earth in a week.

There was no social distancing 420km up: as they floated into the space station one by one, the new astronauts embraced the three there.

They had been in pre-launch quarantine for the past month.

The newest crew members will remain on board until October, keeping the outpost running until SpaceX launches a pair of NASA astronauts from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre as early as May. It will be the first orbital launch of astronauts from the US since NASA’s space shuttle program ended in 2011.

Thursday’s lift-off was low-key even by Russian standards, given the pandemic sweeping the globe. NASA televised the lift-off live as usual, but only a few ­Russia-based employees of the space agency were at the Baik­onur ­Cosmodrome.

Captain Cassidy’s wife, Peggy, watched the launch from NASA’s Mission Control in Houston. She returned home a few weeks ago, after saying goodbye to her husband at cosmonaut headquarters in Star City, Russia.

Chris Cassidy, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, front, are welcomed by Andrew Morgan, Oleg Skripochka, and Jessica Meir. Picture: NASA via AP

“No virus is stronger than the human desire to explore,” tweeted NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I’m grateful to the entire @NASA and @roscosmos teams for their dedication to making this launch a success.”

On the eve of lift-off, the astronauts said they felt fantastic after being in strict quarantine. The sparse crowds mostly stayed a safe distance from the astronauts; even the Orthodox priest offering the customary blessing stood several metres away.

“Obviously, we’d love to have our families here with us, but it’s what we understand we have to do to be safe,” Captain Cassidy said on Wednesday.

There was another twist, besides coronavirus: Lieutenant Col­onel Ivanishin and Mr Vagner were assigned to the flight just two months ago, after one of the original Russian crewmen suffered an eye injury.

Because of the late crew swap, Colonel Ivanishin and Mr Vagner had no clothes waiting for them at the space station. They took a few extra outfits with them on the Soyuz, with more due to arrive on the next Russian supply ship later this month.

Officials from NASA and the Russian Space Agency were among only a few to address the astronauts, protected behind a glass wall, before they departed for the launch pad. The room normally is packed with family, friends and space program types; on Thursday, the rows of seats were almost all empty.

“It was a stunning launch and docking,” NASA’s Mission Control radioed from Houston after the crew arrived. “While we wish we had everyone to see you off from Baikonur, we know your family and friends, and your NASA family, were watching … and couldn’t be more proud.”

“We’re just really happy to get here,” replied Captain Cassidy.

This is the third spaceflight for him and Colonel Ivanishin, and the first for Mr Vagner.

Already on board — and due to return to Earth on April 17 — are NASA’s Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan, and Russian Oleg Skripochka.

AP