SpaceX Launches 4 Astronauts To ISS For NASA.

SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday. That mission, called Crew-2, will blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:11 a.m. EST (1011 GMT) on Thursday morning (April 22) from NASA's historic Pad 39A and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be SpaceX's third crew flight for NASA from Florida's Kennedy Space Center in under a year.

The capsule, named "Endeavour," first carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to and from the space station last year for the Demo-2 test flight. Thursday's flight will reuse the booster rocket used in the Crew-1 mission and the Crew Dragon capsule will be the same as that used in the test mission.

This mission involves US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Akihiko Hoshide, and the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Thomas Pesquet. During their mission, the crew will be tasked with carrying out numerous scientific experiments, like examining the effects of weightlessness on brain organoids (mini-brains created using stem cell technology).

Scientists hope this research can eventually help space agencies prepare for distance space missions which will expose crews to the rigors of space for long periods, and even help fight brain disease here on Earth. Another important element of the mission is upgrading the station's solar power system by installing new compact panels that roll open like a huge yoga mat.

Crew-2's launch day coincides with Earth Day, and by the time the crew returns they will have also contributed to environmental research by taking 1.5 million images of phenomena like artificial lighting at night, algal blooms, and the breakdown of Antarctic ice shelves.

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