SpaceX launches crew to ISS

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, carrying a crew of four to the International Space Station. The crew consists of two American astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and a Canadian astronaut, according to NPR and the BBC. They will spend up to six months aboard the station, the BBC reports.

The rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a live webcast showing the 25-story-tall spacecraft taking off, as reported by Business Recorder and Channel News Asia. The Falcon 9 rocket's reusable lower-stage booster was expected to separate and land back on Earth, while the upper stage carried the Crew Dragon capsule toward orbit.

The capsule was expected to reach orbit about nine minutes after launch and begin an eight-hour voyage to the space station, with docking planned for around 7 p.m. EDT, Business Recorder and Channel News Asia stated. The mission is devoted to human health and performance in orbit, according to Business Recorder and Channel News Asia.

Brief written by urgent.news from BBC Science, Business Recorder, NPR, Channel News Asia — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.