The crew of the next mission to the International Space Station have arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, where the launch will take place.

Japanese astronaut Furukawa Satoshi arrived at the space center 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 at 3:49 a.m. local time 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.

Furukawa said 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.

The 59-year-old Yokohama native made his first flight to the ISS in 2011 on board the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.