Four astronauts launch aboard SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral

On Thursday morning, a SpaceX rocket carried four astronauts from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into orbit. The team includes NASA's Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA's Joshua Kutryk, and Roskosmos's Sergej Teterjatnikov. This launch represents SpaceX's 13th crewed mission for NASA.

Watkins, a geologist with a background on the Curiosity Mars rover, will serve as mission commander, becoming the first Black woman to lead a crew around Earth. The other members are making their first spaceflight: Delaney is a retired Marine, Kutryk a former colonel in Canada's air force, and Teterjatnikov previously worked on a submarine. Their arrival will rotate the crew currently stationed on the International Space Station.