SpaceX set to take four astronauts to International Space Station on April 22

(l-r) Pesquet, McArthur, Kimbrough, and Hoshide, wearing SpaceX spacesuits during a dress rehearsal. — Nasa/AFP

SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday, in the second routine mission since the United States resumed crewed space flight, and the first with a European.

Liftoff is planned for 6.11am Eastern Time (1011 GMT) on April 22, from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.