SpaceX launches international crew to space station on 6-month NASA mission

Crew-11 mission astronauts wave as they head to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Friday. From Left to right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut and mission commander Zena Cardman and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. The crew will live and work aboard the International Space Station for at least six months.

NASA and SpaceX's Crew-11 mission is made up of two U.S. astronauts, one from Japan and a Russian cosmonaut. They'll be aboard the International Space Station for six months conducting research.

(Image credit: Gregg Newton)