SpaceX has successfully carried four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) only 15 hours after launching from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
The crew includes NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. They will stay aboard the ISS for at least six months, replacing astronauts who arrived in March. SpaceX will likely bring the outgoing crew back to Earth this week.
Fincke greeted the space station over the radio shortly after docking over the South Pacific, saying, “Hello, space station!” The journey time is fast by US standards but still slower than the Russian Soyuz’s record 3-hour trip.
All four astronauts were originally set for different missions. Cardman’s last-minute move made room for NASA astronauts delayed by Boeing Starliner’s technical issues, while Fincke and Yui shifted from planned Starliner flights due to ongoing delays. Platonov, previously removed from a Soyuz mission for health reasons, was cleared to join this SpaceX flight.
With their arrival, 11 people now occupy the ISS. The existing crew welcomed them with cold drinks and hot meals. The mission is a key part of keeping human presence alive in space for scientific research and international collaboration.
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