New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- SpaceX, on Friday, went ahead with the launch of four fresh crew members to the International Space Station. The mission, designated Crew-12, marks the 12th long-duration ISS team that NASA has flown aboard a SpaceX launch vehicle since the private rocket venture founded in 2002 by Tesla boss Elon Musk began sending US astronauts to orbit in May 2020.

With a crew of two US NASA astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut -a SpaceX rocket soared into orbit from Florida. The four new members have been sent on a mission to replace four fliers who came home early last month because of a medical issue with one of the crew members.

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon...