The astronauts who will launch this week (Saturday, April 23, 2022) to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission arrived yesterday, April 18, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to undergo final preparations before launch.
NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy after departing earlier today from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The crew was greeted by leaders from NASA and ESA, and a media event began shortly after their arrival. Participants included:
- KSC Center Director Janet Petro
- Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator, space operations
- Barbara Nucera, ESA Houston team leader
- NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren
- NASA astronaut Bob Hines
- NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins
- ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
Crew-4 astronauts are scheduled to lift off at 5:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. They are slated to arrive at the space station the following day, where they will begin their science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. Docking is targeted for around 6:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday, April 24.
This is the fourth crew rotation flight for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
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