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Crew-3 arrives in Florida ahead of launch

The crew will undergo final preparations ahead of launching to the International Space Station.
Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, left, and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, second from left, Raja Chari, second from right, and Kayla Barron, right, pose for a picture after answering questions from members of the media following their arrival at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission is the third crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Chari, Marshburn, Barron, Maurer are scheduled to launch at Oct. 31 at 2:21 a.m. ET, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — UPDATE: Crew-3 has seen several weather and health-related delays and will now be lifting off at 9:03 p.m. on Nov. 10 from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Previous reporting

The crew has arrived, the rocket has been rolled out and now all that's left is liftoff. 

NASA and SpaceX's Crew-3 astronauts touched down Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center ahead of their spooky Oct. 31 launch to the International Space Station. 

The four-person crew made up of NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer will now participate in media briefings and undergo final preparations prior to launch. 

Liftoff is targeted for 2:21 a.m. ET from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams met on Oct. 25 for a Flight Readiness Review and were given the "Go" to proceed toward launch. 

The Crew Dragon Endurance and its crew will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket before docking at the ISS nearly 24 hours later at 12:10 a.m. on Nov.1.

The mission will give NASA the opportunity to "restore and maintain" American leadership in human spaceflight, while also continuing needed research at the orbiting laboratory.

"Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis missions, which includes land the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface," NASA wrote in a press release.

Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-3 will spend six months conducting research and performing maintenance on the orbiting laboratory's power supply. They'll also welcome private missions and cargo deliveries during their stay.

Want to catch all the action? NASA will be providing a live feed of the mission which can be found on its website or Youtube page. You can start watching pre-launch live coverage from NASA at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 30.

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