SpaceX launches third crew in less than a year with recycled rocket and capsule

Event marks first time SpaceX reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for Nasa

SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit on Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk's rapidly expanding company.

The astronauts from the US, Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early on Saturday morning, following a 23-hour ride in the same Dragon capsule used by SpaceX's debut crew last May. They will spend six months at the orbiting lab.