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SpaceX will launch four astronauts from three different agencies to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday, according to NASA.
This is the second routine mission since crewed space flight resumed from US soil, and the first NASA launch with three different agencies in nearly 20 years.
Liftoff for the Crew-2 mission is planned for 11:11 BST on April 22, from NASA s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two NASA, one ESA and one JAXA astronauts.
The mission involves Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur from NASA, along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) s Akihiko Hoshide, and the European Space Agency (ESA) s Thomas Pesquet. All have flown to space previously.
SpaceX picked for moonwalkers, on verge of 3rd crew launch
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MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
April 16, 2021
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1of15SpaceX Crew 2 members, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide gather at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021 to prepare for a mission to the International Space Station. The launch is targeted for April 22.John Raoux/APShow MoreShow Less
2of15FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2019 file photo, the SpaceX prototype Starship hopper stands at the Boca Chica Beach site in Texas. NASA chose SpaceX on Friday, April 16, 2021 to build the lunar lander that will eventually put the first woman and person of color on the moon. The announcement came a few hours after SpaceX s most international crew of astronauts yet arrived in Florida for a liftoff next week. (Miguel Roberts/