World-leading space agency NASA is coming closer to commercialising space travel as it finishes up its preparations to send four astronauts to the International Space Station.

Space crews that are part of NASA’s groundbreaking Commercial Crew Program (CCP) are undergoing final training as the date for the launch of the sixth SpaceX commercial crew mission approaches.

The earliest launch date for the mission is reportedly set for mid-February 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

Four astronauts will set off for their mission aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, and Pilot Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will be heading to the International Space Station (ISS).

Video footage released by NASA of past launches and missions shows the importance and successes of its commercial crew program.

The CCP has led the way toward a new era in human spaceflight, impacting the agency and industry in tremendous ways, NASA said in a statement obtained by Newsflash.

Together with commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, the CCP is delivering on its goal to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective human space transportation, NASA said.