CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — SpaceX launched four astronauts toward the International Space Station on Friday, lifting off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The mission carries a mixed team of NASA astronauts and international partners from the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The crew will spend roughly six months aboard the station conducting microgravity research and maintenance before returning to Earth.

The Falcon 9 first stage separated and returned for a landing minutes after liftoff, continuing SpaceX's reuse program for the Commercial Crew Program. NASA confirmed the Crew Dragon was scheduled to autonomously dock with the station's Harmony module within approximately one day of launch.

The mission reflects NASA's continued reliance on SpaceX for crew transport as the agency plans the station's operations through the end of the decade. NASA has said it intends to transition to commercial low-Earth orbit destinations before the station is retired around 2030.

NASA's statement before the launch said the mission demonstrated "the strength of our international partnerships and the reliability of commercial spaceflight." The outgoing crew will depart the station in the coming weeks.