Posted: Fri, May 26, 2023, 10:43 PM ET (0243 GMT)
A Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four private astronauts is nearing the International Space Station after a launch Sunday afternoon. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 5:37 pm EDT (2137 GMT) Sunday and placed the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft is flying the Ax-2 mission for Axiom Space, commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The other members of the crew are American businessman John Shoffner and Saudi astronauts Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. Docking took place at about 9:12 am EDT (1312 GMT) Monday, and the spacecraft will remain there for eight days. The launch was the tenth crewed flight by SpaceX in just under three years.

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