JP astronauts arrive at KSC

Japanese astronaut Furukawa Satoshi have arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida on Sunday, along with fellow crew members from the United States, Denmark and Russia. They are scheduled to lift off on the private Crew Dragon spacecraft on Friday.

Furukawa will stay at the space station for about six months. He said at a news conference that various final preparations will take place in the next five days, including a dress-rehearsal of the launch with his colleagues.

He has taken up the baton from fellow Japanese astronaut Wakata Koichi, and intends to work hard to carry on the mission on the ISS. Furukawa's role includes conducting experiments in the medical field that take advantage of the reduced gravity environment in space.