The Crew-4 mission is due to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in April 2022 aboard the fourth operational Crew Dragon capsule. It will be launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch will carry three NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Robert Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, to the space station – as well as European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who will serve as a mission specialist and will command the station’s Expedition 68 crew. This will be the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins and the second trip for Lindgren and Cristoforetti.
Mission commander Lindgren described the meaning behind the patch: “The free-flying Dragon capsule forms the thorax of the central element of the patch, the Dragonfly – a beautiful and agile flyer. For many, the dragonfly represents transformation and good fortune. On its way to the International Space Station, the capsule appears suspended in low Earth orbit with the Earth below and Moon above. Four bright stars represent the four crewmembers’ families and their steadfast patience, love and support. The remaining multitude of stars represent the countless members of the NASA, SpaceX and international partner teams, whose ingenuity, vigilance and tireless work has made this mission possible.”
Measures approx. 10 cm (4-inches) across.
