New crew for the space station launches with 4 astronauts from 4 countries

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts from four countries are rocketing toward the International Space Station. It is NASA’s most multinational crew yet, representing the U.S., Denmark, Japan and Russia. SpaceX launched the astronauts before dawn Saturday (Aug. 26, 2023) from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. They should reach the orbiting lab Sunday for a half-year stay, replacing four astronauts living up there since March. Commanding the SpaceX Dragon capsule is NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, a Marine pilot making her first spaceflight. Her crewmates include a Japanese surgeon and Danish and Russian engineers. Another NASA astronaut will launch to the station next month on a Russian rocket.