NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 Mission to Launch to the International Space Station

Wednesday - August 23 2023, 09:41 UTC - 1 year ago

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 mission will launch to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 25, 2021. The Crew-7 mission marks the return of crew transport to the International Space Station from the United States in over a decade, and the mission will be part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The mission will benefit from lessons learned by the teams over the years in spacecraft design, launch preparations, and mission operations, and the crew will conduct many scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, maintenance works, and educational activities during their stay.

The crew that will soon launch to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, August 20, to start final preparations for liftoff. Crew members NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, pilot; and mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy .

They had flown on a Gulfstream jet aircraft from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The flight crew was greeted upon arrival by leaders from NASA, JAXA, and ESA. On August 20, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Endurance spacecraft rolled out to the pad at Launch Complex 39A. On Tuesday, August 22, the crew will participate in a dry dress rehearsal ahead of an integrated static fire test in preparation for liftoff early Friday morning .

The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned liftoff at 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, pilot; and mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon spacecraft .

As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-7 marks the eighth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and the seventh crew rotation mission to the space station since 2020. NASA and SpaceX teams have worked together to develop new techniques, such as automated pre-pack procedures and advanced safety protocols, to help speed up the process of getting ready for flight. For example, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, as well as the Crew Access Arm, have been installed and integrated with the processed spacecraft on the launch pad in order to reduce the time required for final preparation on launch day .

The Crew-7 mission will be the return of crew transport to the International Space Station from the United States in over a decade. This mission and many future missions to come will benefit from the lessons learned by the teams over the years in terms of spacecraft design, launch preparations, and mission operations. This expertise, combined with the improved safety and reliability of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, will enable more frequent launches of commercial crew missions to the station .

Once in orbit, the Crew-7 astronauts and cosmonauts will join Expedition 65. They will be the first crew of four to occupy the station since the Trump Administration announced plans to return to the Moon by 2024. During their stay, they will conduct scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, maintenance, and even educational activities that will be shared with the public. The mission will be impressive to witness and a reminder of the accomplishments of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program .

Please join us on August 25 to witness history in the making as four stellar astronauts launch into space and join the Expedition 65 team at the International Space Station.