Elon Musk’s Space-X is gearing up to send three US astronauts and a European Space Agency crew mate to the International Space Station

The estimated 17 hour journey will be the beginning of the crew’s six-month mission as they orbit 420 kilometres above Earth.

The SpaceX launch vehicle is fitted with a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket and a Crew Dragon capsule, and was set for lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Musk’s company began flying US astronauts in 2020, previously launching six human spaceflights.

The launch comes just two days after another Houston-based space company returned from a two-week mission, which was the first ISS all-private astronaut crew in history.

Meanwhile, in July 2021, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic Holding launched suborbital flights with their billionaire founders, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson tagging along for the ride.