Astronaut Jessica Watkins made history on April 27 by becoming the first Black woman launched into space for a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Watkins (33 years old) was launched into space alongside NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Kjell Lindgren, as well as Samantha Cristoforetti from the European Space Agency (ESA), from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida at 2:52 PM (Vietnam time).
Jessica Watkins becomes the first Black woman to reach the ISS on a long-duration mission.
In an interview with NPR, Watkins stated: “I think this is really just a tribute to the legacy of the women astronauts who came before me, as well as the exciting future ahead.”
Last November, NASA announced that Watkins would be the fourth and final astronaut seated on the Crew Dragon spacecraft for SpaceX’s Crew-4 mission.
This means that Watkins will be the first Black woman to participate in the ISS crew for scientific research, station maintenance, and training missions over a period of six months. Previously, Victor Glover, part of SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission launched in November 2020, became the first Black astronaut to join the station crew.
Among the 248 astronauts who have visited the ISS, only seven are Black, and none have been involved in long-duration missions.
In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first Black astronaut to travel into space. Mae Jemison followed nine years later, becoming the first Black woman to do the same.
Last year, NASA also announced that Watkins had been selected for the Artemis program, aiming to return astronauts to the Moon as early as 2025.
“It’s important for me to have role models in the roles I aspire to and to contribute in ways I hope to. So, in whatever capacity I can, I’m honored to have the opportunity to give back,” Watkins said.
