SpaceX successfully transported a new crew to the International Space Station on Saturday, completing the journey in a swift 15 hours.
The quartet of astronauts, representing the US, Russia, and Japan, arrived in their SpaceX capsule after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre.
They are scheduled to reside at the orbiting laboratory for at least six months, replacing the current crew who arrived in March. SpaceX is expected to return the departing astronauts as early as Wednesday.
The incoming crew consists of NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. All four were initially slated for different space missions.
“Hello, space station,” Mr. Fincke announced via radio upon the capsule’s docking above the South Pacific.
Last year, Ms. Cardman and another astronaut were reassigned from a SpaceX flight to accommodate NASA’s two Boeing Starliner test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose space station stay extended from one week to over nine months.
Mr. Fincke and Mr. Yui had been preparing for the subsequent Starliner mission. However, with the Starliner program facing grounding due to thruster and other issues until 2026, they transitioned to SpaceX.
Mr. Platonov’s participation in a Soyuz launch was cancelled several years ago due to an undisclosed health concern.
Their arrival briefly increases the space station’s population to 11. The welcoming astronauts had prepared cold beverages and warm meals for the new arrivals.
While their flight was relatively fast by American standards, the Russian space program holds the record for the quickest journey to the space station – a remarkable three hours.
