SpaceX set to take four astronauts to ISS on April 22

SpaceX set to take four astronauts to ISS on April 22

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket spacecraft onboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad in Florida. NASA/AP



SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday, in the second routine mission since the United States resumed crewed space flight, and the first with a European.

Liftoff is planned for 6:11 am Eastern Time (1011 GMT) on April 22, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.



The mission, called Crew-2, involves US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Akihiko Hoshide, and the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Thomas Pesquet.

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All have flown to space previously.



ESA has dubbed the mission "Alpha" after the star Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own.

This handout photo shows (from