They will spend at least six months at the orbiting lab, swapping places with colleagues up there since March.

An international crew of four astronauts launched toward the International Space Station from Florida on Friday aboard a SpaceX rocket, embarking on a routine NASA mission that could be the first of many to last a couple months longer than usual.

SpaceX launched four astronauts Friday to the ISS for a six-month science mission, marking the company’s 12th NASA crew flight since 2020.