A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched from Florida, carrying three US astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut on the Crew-8 mission bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, space exploration remains an area of close cooperation between the US and Russia.

The crew, consisting of three men and one woman, is aboard a SpaceX capsule previously used four times.

The six-month mission will involve various experiments, including growing artificial replicas of human organs in the low-gravity environment of space, an endeavor not feasible on Earth, the BBC reported.

Over 200 science experiments are planned during the mission, scheduled to conclude in mid-August.

The launch, initially scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to strong winds.

Written by B.C. Begley