Jessica Watkins Set To Become First Black Woman To Join International Space Station Crew As NASA Names Her For SpaceX Crew-4 Mission – Benzinga

Jessica Watkins is set to becomethe first Black woman to join the crew atthe International Space Station next year.

What Happened: U.S. space agency NASA on Tuesday named Watkins to serve as a mission specialist on the agencys upcoming SpaceX Crew-4 mission.

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk-owned SpaceX'sFalcon 9 rocket is expected toferry Watkins and three other astronauts to the International Space Station in April 2022, who would then spend six months at the microgravity laboratory.

Watkinswas selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017.

The other astronauts joining Watkins include Kjell Lindgren and Robert Hines, as well as European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, as crewfor the Crew-4 mission.

Watkins has a bachelor's degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University and a doctorate in geology from University of California.

See Also: SpaceX Docks Crew-3 Astronauts With International Space Station Nearly A Day After Taking Flight

In September, Sian Proctor, a member of SpaceXs Inspiration4 amateur astronaut mission that went to orbit but not to the space station, became the first Black woman to serve as a spacecraft pilot.

Falcon 9 capsule last week delivered four Crew-3 astronauts to the ISS, uniting them with the three crew members aboard the space station that orbits on, average, 248 miles above earth.

The Crew-3 astronauts are expected to leave the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth after a six-month stay.

The Big Picture: SpaceX and NASA are working on multiple projects including a $2.9 billion lunar landing contract. Musk dreams of colonizing Mars and has in the past said he remains highly confident that SpaceX would land humans on Mars by 2026.

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Jessica Watkins Set To Become First Black Woman To Join International Space Station Crew As NASA Names Her For SpaceX Crew-4 Mission - Benzinga