SpaceX delivers four astronauts to International Space Station 15 hours after launch

CAPE Canaveral, Florida (AP) – SpaceX delivered a new crew to the international space station on Saturday, making the trip in 15 hours.

The four American, Russian and Japanese astronauts stopped in their SpaceX capsule after being launched from the NASA Kennedy Space Center. They will spend at least six months in the orbit laboratory, exchanging places with colleagues up there since March. SpaceX will bring these four back on Wednesday from Wednesday.

INMEMPRICE, ZENA CARDMAN DE LA NASA and MIKE FINCKE, KIMIYA YUI DU JAPAN and Oleg Platonov from Russia – each having been initially assigned to other missions. “Hello, space station!” Fincke was struck off by radio as soon as the capsule accosted above the South Pacific.

Cardman and another astronaut were withdrawn from a SpaceX flight last year to make room for the two NASA astronauts, Boeing Starliner Test Pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose space stay spent from a week to more than nine months. Fincke and Yui were training for the next Starliner mission. But with Starliner anchored by the propellant and other problems until 2026, the two went to SpaceX.

Platonov was deposited from the launch range of Soyuz a few years ago due to an uncompromising disease.

Their arrival temporarily puts the population of the space station at 11 years old.

“It was an incredibly beautiful view to see the space station in our opinion for the first time,” said Cardman once on board.

While their taxi flight was fast compared to American standards, the Russians hold the fastest trip to the space station – three quick three hours.

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