For the first time, SpaceX has orbited four astronauts on an already used spacecraft.

For the first time, a private space agency, SpaceX, orbited an astronaut and three astronauts using a Crew Dragon capsule already used on a previous launch pad. Four astronauts are on their way now International Space Station, They will arrive at the dock early Saturday morning, April 24th.

3 .. 2 .. 1 .. and liftoff! The attempt begins again. Four astronauts from three countries in the Crew-2 are now heading to the same location Space station: pic.twitter.com/WDAl8g7bUK

– NASA (AS NASA) April 23, 2021

NASA’s Shane Kimbero and Megan McArthur, Jaxa’s Japan’s Akihiko Hosheid and France’s ESA’s Thomas Baskett are on board crew dragons. The launch took place at 11:49 a.m. (Italian time) from Cape Canaveral, Florida: the rocket that pushed the capsule into orbit, a Falcon 9, other than the Crew Dragon already used for the previous launch, was already in orbit.

“Glad all of us are back in space.” – Astro_gimbero. The second phase is split, and P SpaceX The Crew Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts on board is in orbit, and on the way Space station. pic.twitter.com/ygzlgtVjWd

– NASA (AS NASA) April 23, 2021

SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been completing systems to use most of its rockets for years, in order to significantly reduce the cost of launching satellites into orbit and now astronauts.

SpaceX It has been a while Monopoly of travel from American soil to ISS (other departures from Kazakhstan thanks to the Russian space agency Soyuz). NASA actually commissioned Boeing to develop an alternative system, but the company had several problems with its development and last year discovered a malfunction in its unmanned test, which meant it could not dock its Starliner capsule. To the International Space Station. Boeing is working to fix the problem, but it will take a few months to restart the approval process for its spacecraft.