A South Windsor, Connecticut resident is preparing to join the International Space Station crew after a SpaceX launch from Brevard County on May 15. The mission, part of SpaceX’s regular crew rotations, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 4:45 a.m. The astronaut, identified as Dr. Emily Carter, is a former NASA engineer and current research scientist at the University of Florida. Carter will spend six months aboard the ISS conducting experiments in microgravity. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carried the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit, marking the 23rd crewed mission to the space station. The launch was delayed twice due to weather but proceeded without incident. Carter’s family and colleagues gathered at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to watch the event. 'It’s surreal to see this happen after years of training,' Carter said in a pre-launch interview. The mission is expected to contribute to ongoing research on bone density loss and plant growth in space.