SpaceX targeting April to launch 4 astronauts from 3 countries to space station
The members of the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station. Picture from left are NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. The NASA, European Space Agency and Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) crew are slated to launch atop the Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A no earlier than April 20 and travel to the International Space Station, where four other astronauts, who also arrived via SpaceX, will be waiting. The mission known as Crew-2 will include NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Additionally there is another Russian Space Agency Soyuz launch slated for spring with three astronauts headed to the ISS, meaning at some point there could be 11 astronauts on station together at the same time.
Meet the third round of astronauts who will launch on SpaceX Dragon
(NASA via AP)Next, if the splashdown and return home happens on time, three NASA astronauts and a Japanese astronaut will launch on another Crew Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center. Later NASA added two more crew members, NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi. [DRAGON COVERAGE: Have what it takes to fly Crew Dragon? This will be known as Crew-2, the second operational mission to the ISS for the SpaceX astronaut spacecraft. She flew on one space shuttle mission, the fifth and final repair mission for the Hubble Space Telescope.