SpaceX Crew 5 mission set to lift off for International Space Station

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- NASA and Space X's Crew 5 mission is set to blast off for the International Space Station on Wednesday.

Hurricane Ian previously delayed the Crew 5 mission, along with the launch of the Artemis 1 moon test flight, but the Crew 5 launch is set for noon EDT.

The crew of four, which includes the first female commander and first Russian cosmonaut to fly on a SpaceX mission, arrived at Kennedy Space Center over the weekend.

The crew have completed their pre-launch rehearsal and the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry them into space aboard the Endurance Dragon Spacecraft is sitting on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with their Japanese colleague Koichi Wakata and Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, are scheduled to arrive at the space station about one day after liftoff. They will spend six months on board.

Kikina joins the crew at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials have said they will remain committed to the ISS partnership through at least 2024.