Space Station

SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 7:37 p.m. EDT (2337 GMT) Wednesday, delivering four astronauts for a long-duration research mission. Astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Samantha Cristoforetti, and Jessica Watkins launched early Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Four astronauts rocketed into a clear predawn sky early Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, riding SpaceX’s newest Dragon spacecraft — named “Freedom” — to kick off a planned four-and-a-half month science expedition at the International Space Station.

Four astronauts strapped into their seats on SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom spacecraft and rode a Falcon 9 rocket into orbit early Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning a 16-hour chase of the International Space Station. Liftoff from pad 39A occurred at 3:52 a.m. EDT (0752 GMT).

This detailed mission timeline covers major vehicle and crew activities during the Crew-4 countdown and rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Just 39 hours after SpaceX returned four private astronauts to Earth, the company’s next crew launch for NASA is set for early Wednesday from Florida, with a planetary geologist, a medical doctor, and former U.S. and Italian fighter pilots heading to the International Space Station.

The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the next crew to the International Space Station has been postponed from Saturday, a ripple effect from weather delays in returning a team of commercial astronauts from the outpost back to Earth, NASA officials said Wednesday.