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NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX are set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Halloween

 

NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX are set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Halloween

  • NASA announced a new target for the Crew-1 mission - October 31 at 2:49am ET
  • This mission will send four astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket to the ISS
  • The event follows the successful mission of Demo-2 in May 
  • The new team will spend six months on the ISS conducing research 

By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: | UPDATED: 

NASA announced four astronauts will launch to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during the early hours of Halloween Day.

The Crew-1 mission is set to liftoff at 2:40am ET, which follows the successful Demo-2 test flight in May that was manned by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

The new mission will be flown by Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The team will travel to the station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and spend six months on the orbiting laboratory conducting research.

The event marks the first time an international crew will fly aboard a NASA-certified, commercially-owned and operated American rocket and spacecraft from American soil.

SpaceX also announced that Crew-1 will overlap with Crew-2 that is set to launch next year, which will be the first time two Dragon capsules have been docked on the ISS simultaneously. 

Scroll down for video 

The new mission will be flown by Michael Hopkins (second from right), Victor Glover (second from left), and Shannon Walker (left) of NASA and Soichi Noguchi (right) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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The new mission will be flown by Michael Hopkins (second from right), Victor Glover (second from left), and Shannon Walker (left) of NASA and Soichi Noguchi (right) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX made history in May when the duo launched Behnken and Hurley to the International Space Station (ISS).

This was the first time in nine years an American crew launched from US soil – bringing space flight back to the nation.

This mission was the precursor for next month's journey, as the team was tasked with testing the Crew Dragon capsule to validate its performance.

This included tests with the environmental control system, displays, maneuvering thrusters and other technologies.

The Crew-1 mission is set to liftoff at 2:40am ET, which follows the successful Demo-2 test flight in May (pictured) that was manned by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley
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The Crew-1 mission is set to liftoff at 2:40am ET, which follows the successful Demo-2 test flight in May (pictured) that was manned by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley

When Behnken and Hurley returned from a two month stay on the ISS (pictured), NASA began moving forward with its plans for Crew 1. The four astronauts in Crew-1 are set to spend six months on the ISS, where they will conduct a number of experiments and perform a range of tasks
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When Behnken and Hurley returned from a two month stay on the ISS (pictured), NASA began moving forward with its plans for Crew 1. The four astronauts in Crew-1 are set to spend six months on the ISS, where they will conduct a number of experiments and perform a range of tasks

However, when Behnken and Hurley returned from a two month stay on the ISS, NASA began moving forward with its plans for Crew 1.

The four astronauts in Crew-1 are set to spend six months on the ISS, where they will conduct a number of experiments and perform a range of tasks.

NASA and SpaceX had previously planned to launch Crew-1 in late September. The one month delay is due to 'spacecraft traffic,' NASA said, as a Russian Soyuz spacecraft is set to launch to the ISS in October.

SpaceX also announced that Crew-1 will overlap with Crew-2 that is set to launch next year, which will be the first time two Dragon capsules have been docked on the ISS simultaneously. Pictured is the Dragon Capsule docked during the Demo-2 mission
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SpaceX also announced that Crew-1 will overlap with Crew-2 that is set to launch next year, which will be the first time two Dragon capsules have been docked on the ISS simultaneously. Pictured is the Dragon Capsule docked during the Demo-2 mission

That Soyuz launch, scheduled for October 14, will send NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov to the orbiting lab.

The agency also said that pushing back the Crew-1 launch will allow 'for a crew handover' on board the space station. 

The six month timeline for Crew-1 means that capsule will be docked until late April, overlapping with the SpaceX Crew-2 mission set to launch in spring 2021.

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