SpaceX launch the Crew-3 mission for NASA, the company’s fifth human spaceflight

California: A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 10, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month stay.

The Crew-3 mission will be the third operational flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and, while it hasn’t been the easiest road to the launchpad, the astronauts are ready to fly.

The launch was originally scheduled for Halloween but some nasty weather and a “minor medical issue” pushed lift off back by almost two weeks. Crew-3 will now be flying just hours after Crew-2 spla

The launch is SpaceX’s third operational crew launch for NASA to date, and the first by the latest addition to its fleet of Crew Dragon capsules, named Endurance by the Crew-3 astronauts. The Crew-3 mission will bring the number of astronauts SpaceX has launched to 18.

The mission will carry three Americans and one German: NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer. This is the first spaceflight for three of the crew: Chari, Barron and Maurer.

SpaceX developed its Crew Dragon spacecraft and fine-tuned its Falcon 9 rocket under NASA’s Commercial Crew program, which provided the company with $3.1 billion to develop the system and launch six operational missions.