Crew-4, the fifth SpaceX flight towards the International Space Station (ISS), was launched at 9:52 a.m. (Florida) by the astronauts. Three Americans and one European are currently on their way to the orbital complex with the Crew Dragon Freedom ship. The Falcon 9 rocket launched from platform 39A at Kennedy Space Center has taken them there.

Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins will be in the capsule. The hatch will then open two hours later. This is the fourth ISS crew rotation using SpaceX vehicles, Elon Musk’s aerospace company. It also marks the fifth return of NASA astronauts to those ships, including the 2020 test (Demo-2),

They are part of the ISS Expedition 68. The astronauts will be staying at the station for six months, where they will conduct more than 200 experiments in materials science and health technologies. Samantha Cristoforetti (46 years old) will replace Matthias Maurer as the European representative in orbit. The second space flight will see the Italian astronaut also take command of the US segment, which is made up of modules from Canada, Japan, and the US.

Cristoforetti, an engineer and pilot with the Italian Air Force was on the ISS for more than 199 days between November 2014 to June 2015. She is the first woman to have spent so much time in space, surpassing Peggy Whitson (289 days) or Christina Koch (312. According to the ESA, the European astronaut has named her mission Minerva as an homage to all the people who have made manned spaceflight possible. "Minerva was also a warrior god, so she embodies both the strength, toughness and discipline that are required for us as we consolidate the human presence in space and the wisdom we aspire too. astronaut