Four astronauts launched into orbit on Thursday for a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX launch for Nasa followed a three-week delay to repair a leaking fuel system in the capsule.
Commander Jessica Watkins, a geologist, is making her second trip to the space station and is the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. She previously worked with Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity a decade ago and had a lengthy stay at the ISS in 2022.
The crew also includes newcomers Luke Delaney of Nasa, Joshua Kutryk of Canada, and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia. Kutryk's wife is due to give birth to their third child in late November, making him the fourth man to become a father while orbiting Earth.
The flight to the ISS is expected to be the quickest yet for SpaceX, with an estimated eight-hour transit. This mission marks the 13th crew launched by SpaceX for Nasa.