SpaceX launches a rocket and capsule to launch Crew-8 astronauts (photos)

SpaceX's next astronaut launch is just around the corner.

The company just launched the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule that will fly Crew-8, SpaceX's next mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.

Crew-8 is scheduled to lift off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday (March 1) at 12:04 a.m. EDT (0504 GMT). You can watch it live here on Space.com when the time comes.

Related: 8 ways SpaceX changed spaceflight

A white rocket and space capsule are transported to the launch pad horizontally at night.

Another look at Crew-8's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon as they take the stand. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

Crew-8 will send NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barrett, Janet Epps and Russian astronaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station for a six-month stay. Dominic will be the commander of Crew-8, Barrett will be the pilot, and Epps and Grebenkin will serve as mission specialists.

The quartet will replace the four astronauts on SpaceX's Crew-7 mission, who are scheduled to depart the ISS about a week after Crew-8's arrival.

Black and white rocket topped with a white capsule stand on the launch pad with blue sky in the background.

A Crew-8 Falcon 9 rocket and a Crew Dragon capsule stand atop Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 26, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

As its name suggests, Crew-8 will be the eighth operational astronaut mission that SpaceX has flown to the International Space Station for NASA.

The space agency has signed a similar contract with aerospace giant Boeing, which it plans to fulfill with a capsule called Starliner. Boeing is preparing for its first crewed Starliner mission, a test flight for two astronauts to the International Space Station, scheduled for launch in mid-April.

READ SpaceX's Steamroller Turned Up a Level This Year - Ars Technica

Lona Woodrowe

“Typical beer advocate. Future teen idol. Unapologetic tv practitioner. Music trailblazer.”

SpaceX launches a rocket and capsule to launch Crew-8 astronauts (photos)

Boeing May Not Be Able to Operate Starliner Before Space Station Is Destroyed

How did black holes get so big and so fast? The answer lies in the darkness

UNC student to become youngest woman to cross space on Blue Origin

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

More Stories

Boeing May Not Be Able to Operate Starliner Before Space Station Is Destroyed

How did black holes get so big and so fast? The answer lies in the darkness

UNC student to become youngest woman to cross space on Blue Origin