SpaceX Launches Crew-11 Astronauts To ISS For NASA

Elon Musk-led SpaceX on Friday launched Crew-11 astronauts from the U.S., Russia, and Japan for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

SpaceX used the Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule to send the four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission, according to a live broadcast from the space startup on X.

The Falcon 9 rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday at 11:47 A.M. EDT, according to SpaceX. The launch was initially expected to take place on Thursday, but was pushed back by a day due to bad weather.

The crew comprised Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke from NASA, Kimiya Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

According to a Bloomberg report, Roscosmos chief Dimitry Bakanov met with NASA’s acting administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at Kennedy Space Center to discuss further cooperation in space. This was the first in-person meeting of the heads of the two space agencies since 2018, according to the report.

The four astronauts are aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, which has now flown for the sixth time since debuting in 2020.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft was initially certified for five flights, but NASA is currently seeking to extend it to 15, according to a Space.com report.

On the other hand, SpaceX has completed 509 missions with the Falcon 9 rocket so far, with 464 total landings and 433 reflights.

The Dragon capsule is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station at 3 A.M. EDT on Saturday.

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