SpaceX launches Crew-13: 4 Nasa astronauts to study human health on ISS for 6 months

SpaceX on Thursday launched four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission focused on studying human health and performance in space.A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The crew is expected to reach the orbiting laboratory, about 250 miles above Earth, after an eight-hour journey.The launch came after a three-week delay to address a leak in the capsule’s fuel system. The crew will replace four astronauts who have been living aboard the station since February.The mission is the 13th long-duration crewed flight SpaceX has conducted for Nasa, excluding its 2020 test flight. The company began sending US astronauts into orbit in May 2020.Crew-13 is led by Nasa astronaut Jessica Watkins, a geologist making her second trip to the space station. She became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.