51846702013_a0cc55100a_k.jpeg NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “Bob” Hines; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren; and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. Credits: SpaceX

Media accreditation now is open for the launch of the fourth SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The earliest targeted launch date for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is Friday, April 15, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch will carry three NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Robert Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, to the space station – as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who will serve as a mission specialist. This is the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins. It is the second trip for Lindgren and Cristoforetti.

Following a crew handover period, astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission are scheduled for return to Earth in April aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance.

Media accreditation deadlines for Crew-4 launch are as follows:

• U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 4 p.m. EDT Sunday, March 20.
• International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 4 p.m. Sunday, March 13.

All accreditation requests should be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

COVID-19 safety protocols for this event will be communicated closer to the date of the event. For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

If you have special logistical requests, such as space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections, please send your request to: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov by Friday, April 1.

For other questions, please contact Kennedy’s newsroom: at 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425.

For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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Press Contacts

Joshua Finch / Gina Anderson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / gina.n.anderson@nasa.gov

Brittney Thorpe / Kathleen Haas Ellis
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
brittney.thorpe@nasa.gov / kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov

Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov

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