The crew, consisting of two Americans, one Japanese and one Russian, took off from Kennedy Space Center on Friday evening Swedish time and is expected to reach the space station over the weekend. They replace the team that previously had to step in as a reserve, after two NASA astronauts got stuck in orbit with the spacecraft Boeing Starliner.
American biologist and astronaut Zena Cardman would have taken off already last year, but had to stand over when Starliner was prioritized.
This is the coolest ride of life, she says after the launch.
On board are also Mike Fincke from NASA, Kimiya Yui from Japan and Russian Oleg Platonov.
NASA plans to save money by letting the astronauts stay longer on the ISS, up to eight months. At the same time, Starliner's next manned flight is delayed until at least 2026, as technical problems are still being investigated.
What we learn here will take us to the moon – and then Mars, says Sean Duffy, newly appointed NASA chief.
