Nasa's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission: Launch successful on second attempt

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SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocketImage source, NASA
Image caption,

This amazing photograph, taken over period of a few minutes, shows the path of the SpaceX rocket as it successfully launched into space

Four astronauts have safely arrived on the International Space Station (ISS) after their first attempt to launch was called off just two minutes before take off.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission was set to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday but there was a problem with the rocket fuel needed for launch.

But the mission went ahead without a hitch in the early hours on Friday morning and the crew have now joined up with the seven other astronauts currently onboard the ISS.

Image source, NASA
Image caption,

Crew 6 arrive on board the ISS

Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the crew on their successful launch.

He said they will be contributing towards "over 200 experiments that will help us to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, as well as improve life here on Earth.

"We look forward to seeing all that they accomplish."

Find out more about the amazing ISS
Image source, NASA
Image caption,

Crew 6 wave to the cameras just before they take off for the ISS

Crew-6 will help prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, which is around 1000 kilometres above the Earth's surface.

Their experiments will include studies of how particular materials burn in zero gravity, research on heart and brain functions in space, and a search for microbe samples from the outside of the space station.

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