KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla, — If all goes to plan veteran NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly on the second operational flight to the International Space Station under NASA’s commercial program Friday at 5:49 a.m. EDT.
Acting administrator Steve Jurczyk says the mission is vital to NASA’s future space exploration plans.
“It’s been a long haul but having this capability is really important for ISS to enable the research and technology development that we need to extend capabilities in low-earth orbit. But (the) ISS is also important for our Artemis plans and eventually mars,” Jurczyk said.
SpaceX Crew Launch FILE - In this Friday, April 16, 2021 file photo, SpaceX Crew 2 members, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide gather at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. This is the most internationally diverse crew yet for SpaceX. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch Members of the SpaceX Crew 2, from left, Thomas Pesquet, of the European Space Agency, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Akihiko Hoshide, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, are shown on a video screen as the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the crew Dragon capsule sits on Launch Complex 39A Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch on April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara)
Space X Crew Launch Members of the SpaceX Crew 2, from left, Thomas Pesquet, of the European Space Agency, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Akihiko Hoshide, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, are shown on a video screen as the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the crew Dragon capsule sits on Launch Complex 39A Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch on April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson)
NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Launch The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a six-month science mission. (SpaceX/SpaceX)
SpaceX Crew Launch Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk, left, gestures as he stands with Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana near a mockup of a Crew Dragon capsule during a news conference Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch on April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara)
SpaceX Crew Launch Hiroshi Sasaki, of Japan's Human Space Flight office, speaks to the media as he stands with Frank De Winne, left, of the European Space Agency, and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson during a news conference Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch on April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara)
SpaceX Crew Launch Acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk speaks to the media as he stands with Frank De Winne, left, of the European Space Agency, and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson during a news conference Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch on April 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara)
NASA: Crew-2 mission ‘go’ for Thursday launch (NASA)
SpaceX Crew Launch In this Friday, April 16, 2021 photo provided by NASA, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is rolled to Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-2 mission at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide are scheduled to launch Thursday, April 22. For the first time, NASA is putting its trust in a recycled SpaceX rocket and capsule for a crew. (Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via AP) (Aubrey Gemignani)
Crew-2 mission Crew-2 mission astronauts are set to arrive at Kennedy Space Center Friday afternoon ahead of their launch to the International Space Station next week. (WFTV Staff)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 members, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide gather at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021 to prepare for a mission to the International Space Station. The launch is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur waves as she arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 astronauts, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide greet members of the media after they arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide smiles as he arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, front, waves as she leaves a news conference with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, back, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021 as they prepare for a mission to the International Space Station. The launch is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, center, welcomes SpaceX Crew 2 astronauts, from left, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur as they arrive at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021. The launch to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
SpaceX Crew Launch SpaceX Crew 2 member Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide waves after a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 16, 2021 as he prepares for a mission to the International Space Station. The launch is targeted for April 22. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux)
NASA initially hoped for an Earth Day launch but concerns about unfavorable weather along the flight path moved the launch to Friday.
Despite the delay, Jusczyk says the crew is ready to go, right down to their COVID-19 vaccinations.
“They said all the precautions that NASA took and SpaceX took made us feel perfectly safe,” he said.
After a brief hand-off with Crew-1, which is scheduled to splash down next week, Crew-2 will spend 6 months aboard the space station conducting experiments and performing maintenance before the next commercial crew arrives.