Jessica Meir: Caribou Native & First Maine Woman in Space

Astronaut Jessica Meir is a long way from her native Caribou, Maine and Wednesday morning she will begin a voyage of a lifetime.

Meir, a member of NASA’s 21st class of astronauts, will board the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft in Kazakhstan and blast off to the International Space Station. She will be joined by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and spaceflight participant Hazz Al Mansouri of the United Arab Emirates.

This will be Meir's first space flight and the first for a Maine woman. The launch is scheduled for 9:57 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday  and will be streamed live by NASA.

Currently, there are six astronauts on the International Space Station, which is considered a full compliment.

Meir, a flight engineer and co-pilot of the Soyuz spacecraft, says she has aspired to be an astronaut since she was 5 and hopes to get the opportunity to go on a spacewalk. She is expected to return home in early 2020.