SpaceX delivers four astronauts to ISS one month after medical evacuation

SpaceX's Crew Dragon delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station, restoring the station to its normal seven-person crew after a January medical evacuation; the crew launched from Cape Canaveral and are expected to stay eight to nine months.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday with four astronauts, bringing the station back to its typical seven-person complement. The flight came about a month after NASA carried out a medical evacuation in January that returned four crew members to Earth. The evacuation was announced after a health issue emerged on Jan. 7 and led to the cancellation of a planned spacewalk. The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and is operated by a partnership of five space agencies representing 15 countries. Known details: - The arriving crew members were Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev. - The crew launched Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and docked on Saturday; SpaceX shared video of the docking and NASA provided a livestream. - The January medical evacuation brought NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov back to Earth on Jan. 15. - Officials reported the January event marked the first time in the ISS’s more than 25 years of operations that a mission ended early for medical reasons; the identity of the sick astronaut and the medical issue have not been disclosed publicly. - While four returned to Earth in January, three astronauts remained on the station and continued research and maintenance until the new crew arrived. - The newly arrived four are expected to remain aboard the ISS for eight to nine months. Summary: The arrival restored the International Space Station to its normal seven-person crew and allowed the return to typical research and maintenance rhythms. The crew is slated to stay about eight to nine months, and details about the January medical case remain undisclosed.