Delayed Astronauts Embark on SpaceX Mission Amid Starliner Troubles

After a year-long delay due to Boeing's Starliner issues, astronauts launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre aboard a SpaceX spacecraft bound for the International Space Station.

The multinational crew, which includes US, Japanese, and Russian members, is set to replace colleagues who stepped in last March after NASA's astronauts were unexpectedly grounded.

NASA plans to extend stays and reduce crew numbers to cut costs as a looming deadline calls for abandoning the aging space station by 2030.

(With inputs from agencies.)