Watch: Crew aboard SpaceX capsule prepare to dock at ISS

Watch: Crew aboard SpaceX capsule prepare to dock at ISS

A recycled SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule with four astronauts aboard was speeding on its way to the International Space Station, where the spacecraft is set to dock early Saturday.

It was the third crew sent to the ISS by SpaceX, as part of its multibillion dollar contract with Nasa, and the first time the company was reusing a rocket and spacecraft.

The Crew-2 mission, which includes the first European, Thomas Pesquet of France, blasted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before dawn on Friday.

“We're glad to be back in space,” said mission commander Shane Kimbrough of the United States.

The Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, is expected to dock with the ISS at 5:10 am (0910 GMT) Saturday. The hatch will open two hours after that.

Flying on used vehicles is a key cost-saving goal of Nasa's partnerships with private industry.

Three white Teslas that whisked the astronauts to the launchpad bore license plates reading “recycle,” “reuse,” and “reduce” — a nod to the fact that both the Falcon 9 booster and Endeavour were deployed on previous missions.

SpaceX's first crewed mission to the ISS launched last May, ending