NEW YORK, May 22, 2023 (BSS /TASS) - A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft with a crew of four to the International Space Station, according to a livestream on the SpaceX website.

The missile started at 17:37 local time from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. The mission commander is NASA ex-astronaut Peggy Whitson, who already made three flights to the ISS and holds the NASA record on time in orbit: 665 days.

 The crew also includes businessman John Shoffner and Saudi astronauts Ali al-Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. During its almost two-week mission, the crew will carry out over 20 scientific and technological experiments.