The American private aerospace company SpaceX's "Dragon" spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 1 local time, carrying four astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia on a mission to the International Space Station.
According to China News Service, the "Dragon" spacecraft was launched at 11:43 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Subsequently, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and continued its journey to the International Space Station. As planned, the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station at around 3 a.m. Eastern Time on the 2nd.
The four astronauts traveling to the space station aboard the "Dragon" spacecraft are: American astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian astronaut Oleg Platonov.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the four astronauts will carry out a variety of scientific experiments aboard the space station, including simulating lunar landings, testing vision protection strategies, and advancing other manned spaceflight research.
Acting Administrator of NASA and Secretary of Transportation, DeFaye, stated, "Through these missions, we can learn how to get to the Moon, and then from the Moon to Mars. This is the direction of NASA's development."
According to U.S. media reports, in order to reduce costs, NASA plans to extend astronauts’ stay on the space station from the current 6 months to 8 months in the future; and to reduce the number of astronauts on each mission from 4 to 3, among other measures.