TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — SpaceX and NASA launched their latest crewed mission to the International Space Station Wednesday.
The Falcon 9 rocket supporting Dragon’s fifth operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-5) blasted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The instantaneous launch window opened at 12 p.m. After stage separation, SpaceX said Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth and autonomously land on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship that is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the private space company said the crew will conduct over 200 science experiments and demonstrations in areas including human health and lunar fuel systems.
SpaceX added the Dragon spacecraft supporting Wednesday’s mission was previously used to fly Crew-3 to and from the International Space Station.
You can watch the launch in a live player above. This is a developing story.