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Four astronauts blast into space for special NASA mission

A rocket launching into a dark sky, leaving a trail of flames and smoke behind it.Reuters

3... 2...1... blast off!

Four astronauts, known as Crew‑12, have been launched into space for an exciting mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

A powerful Falcon 9 rocket blasted their spacecraft - NASA's SpaceX Dragon - into the air from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

It'll take around 34 hours for Crew-12 to complete their journey to the space station, where they'll carry out important research for NASA.

They're replacing another team who were there but had to return to Earth early, in January, when one of the astronauts became unwell.

Who are Crew-12?

Two men and two women wearing blue overalls covered in badges, including the NASA logo. They're stood in front of a graphic which shows the view of the Earth from spaceNASA

The four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12

There are two NASA astronauts on board the SpaceX Dragon - Commander Jessica Meir and Pilot Jack Hathaway, who are both from the US.

They're joined by French astronaut Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos.

The team are called Crew-12 because they're being sent on NASA's 12th SpaceX flight to the ISS.

During their launch into space, Sophie Adenot described the mission as "one small moment in exploring our world and beyond".

By taking part, she's become France's second female astronaut in space.

Why are they going to the International Space Station?

A picture of the International Space Station with big panels coming out of it. It's surrounded by darkness and there's a faint blue glow from the Earth at the bottom of the pictureNASA

The International Space Station (ISS)

Crew-12 will live and work on the space station for 8 months, carrying out important science experiments for NASA.

These experiments will help NASA learn more about how to keep astronauts healthy on future missions to Mars and the Moon, as well as how to grow food in space.

The crew's research could help to improve life for humans back here on Earth, too.

During their mission, they'll be studying cells that cause an illness called bacterial pneumonia - which aims to help scientists to find better treatments.