SpaceX has successfully launched its 11th operational astronaut mission for NASA, sending the Crew-11 quartet on a six-month journey to the International Space Station. The crew of four astronauts will spend their time conducting science experiments and maintaining the space station.
The launch occurred at 11:43 am EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, which made its sixth flight, breaking a reuse record for Crew Dragon vehicles.
A day after the original planned launch date, the mission was scrubbed due to intruding clouds and then rescheduled.
The Crew-11 astronauts are: Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov. This will be the first spaceflight for Commander Cardman, who replaced one of the original crew members, while Fincke is making his fourth trip to space on this mission.
Yui, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut, previously spent 142 days in space during Expedition 44/45 in 2015, and Platonov, from Russia’s Roscosmos, is making his first trip to space.
The crew will conduct experiments simulating moon landings near the lunar south pole, testing eye protection techniques, and studying plant cell division in microgravity. They will also work on producing human stem cells and generating nutrients.
This mission marks the second spaceflight for Yui and is part of NASA’s routine crew rotation to maintain a continuous presence at the International Space Station.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/spacex-launches-crew-11-astronauts-to-the-iss-for-nasa-on-milestone-crew-dragon-flight-video