SpaceX Launches Crew Mission After Valve Replacement

<p>A four-person crew launched into orbit on Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, beginning a six-month mission on the International Space Station.</p><p>The crew departed aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Space Launch Complex-40 at 11:10 am EDT (15:10 UTC). Nine minutes after liftoff, they reached orbit and began their approach to the space station for docking scheduled for Thursday evening.</p><p>The launch was postponed from mid-September due to the need to replace a malfunctioning valve in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system. This repair required cutting into a propellant line within the spacecraft to replace the faulty component.</p>