NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is anticipated to launch around noon today, the agency confirmed.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped by a Dragon spacecraft is currently awaiting liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Hours ahead of the launch, NASA shared a video of the crew smiling and waving in their spacesuits.
Lead by Commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, the team of four is expected to spend six months at the International Space Station’s microgravity laboratory.
When they arrive, there will be a brief handover period with members of the Crew-4 mission.
Launched on April 27, Crew-4 is expected to splashdown off the coast of Florida later this month.
Today’s SpaceX launch comes shortly after NASA confirmed it had tapped Elon Musk’s private company to reinvigorate the Hubble mission.
Calling the partnership “an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring,” NASA Chief of Science Thomas Zurbuchen pledged to continue supporting “the most robust, superlative science missions possible.”
Meanwhile, live footage of the upcoming launch is being streamed on NASA’s website.
