A Missouri native is gearing up for space.

All aboard! NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins is preparing for Saturday’s scheduled launch to the International Space Station. Hopkins, of southern Missouri’s Richland, is leading the four-person crew on a mission that will make space their home for about the next six months. They arrived Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center.

“It’s really been an incredible effort by an incredible group of people. For the crew – we’re ready,” says Hopkins.

The mission will be Hopkins’ second trip to space. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:49 p.m. Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Florida.