SpaceX delivers four astronauts to the International Space Station

SpaceX's Falcon 9 carried an international crew of four to the ISS, docking Saturday after a launch from Cape Canaveral; the flight replaces astronauts who returned early following a reported medical episode.

Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 mission that delivered an international crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station. The flight reached the station after about 34 hours and docked on Saturday afternoon. The mission is meant to replace crew members who returned to Earth early in January after a reported medical episode. The station had been operating with a reduced crew and some scheduled activities were on hold until new members arrived. Key details: - The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Friday at 5:15 a.m. and docked at the ISS Saturday at 3:15 p.m. EST. - The crew includes NASA Commander Jessica Meir, NASA Pilot Jack Hathaway, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. - Crew-12 is expected to spend about eight months aboard the station. - The mission replaces astronauts who returned early after a medical event; NASA has not disclosed the identity or condition of that astronaut. - The ISS had been staffed by three people rather than its typical complement, and NASA had paused spacewalks while awaiting the new crew. - NASA did not require additional medical checks for the launched crew and they did not carry extra diagnostic equipment for the station. Summary: The arrival restores the international crew complement aboard the ISS and addresses the vacancy created by the earlier medical-related return. Undetermined at this time.