International crew flies to Florida spaceport for Friday launch to space station
The next four crew members bound for a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station flew to the Kennedy Space Center Sunday to prepare for launch early Friday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA's Jasmin Moghbeli, the Crew-7 commander, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov landed at the old space shuttle runway around noon ET after a flight from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"You can probably tell from the huge smiles on our faces that we're extremely excited to finally be here at Kennedy Space Center and for the journey we're about to embark on," said Moghbeli, a Marine Corps helicopter test pilot and mother of two-and-a-half-year-old twin girls.
Representing the U.S., Europe, Russia and Japan, four crew members launching to the International Space Station flew to the Kennedy Space Center Sunday. Left to right: Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA commander Jasmin Moghbeli and Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.NASA TV
Moghbeli and her crewmates plan to strap into their Crew Dragon capsule "Endurance" at historic pad 39A early Tuesday for a dress-rehearsal countdown. Once complete and the crew is out of the spacecraft, SpaceX plans to test fire the first stage's nine Merlin engines to verify the booster's readiness for its first flight.
Assuming no problems crop up and the weather cooperates, the crew will strap in for real Friday morning around 1:15 a.m. for a launch at 3:49 a.m. Moghbeli and Mogensen will monitor a series of automated rendezvous maneuvers leading to a docking at the space station just after 2 a.m. Saturday.
"This is our seventh operational mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program," said Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro. "And even though we have a robust manifest here, we are always super excited when we're going to stick a human on the rocket. [It] always ups the level of excitement."
Borisov and Moghbeli, a Marine lieutenant colonel with more than 150 combat missions to her credit, are making their first spaceflight. Mogensen visited the space station for nine days in 2015 as part of a short-duration Russian Soyuz swap-out flight while Furukawa logged 167 days aboard the outpost in 2011.
The Crew-7 astronauts during training at SpaceX's Hawthorne, California, rocket factory. Left to right: Borisov, Mogensen, Moghbeli and Furukawa.NASA
Borisov is the third Russian to fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of an agreement between NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, to launch one NASA astronaut aboard each Soyuz flight to the station and one cosmonaut aboard each ISS-bound Crew Dragon.
The agreement ensures at least one crew member from each country is always aboard the station even if an emergency of some sort forced a Soyuz or Crew Dragon to depart early.
"If ever you've seen the evidence of this being an international program, you're seeing it today with this crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who welcomed the Crew-7 fliers to Florida. "Of all crews, this is the most international that we've had, and I think it shows the breadth of the cooperation around the globe."
Said Borisov: "I'm honored to be part of the international crew because it's the most international crew ever. Experienced astronauts and cosmonauts, they say that when you go to the ISS and you look at the planet, you see that there are no borders. And really, I want to continue and to convey that feeling and that emotion and also to support the cooperation which we have been having so far."
Quelle: CBS News
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International crew arrive in Florida ahead of space station mission
The crew members for the next space station mission pose for photographers after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center on August 20, 2023. From left to right: Mission Specialist Konstantin Borisov, Pilot Andreas Mogensen, Commander Jasmin Moghbeli, and Mission Specialist Satoshi Furukawa. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now.
The next four crew members bound for a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station flew to the Kennedy Space Center Sunday to prepare for launch early Friday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, the Crew-7 commander, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov landed at the old space shuttle runway around noon EDT after a flight from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“You can probably tell from the huge smiles on our faces that we’re extremely excited to finally be here at Kennedy Space Center and for the journey we’re about to embark on,” said Moghbeli, a Marine Corps helicopter test pilot and mother of two-and-a-half-year-old twin girls.
Moghbeli and her crewmates plan to strap into their Crew Dragon capsule “Endurance” at historic pad 39A early Tuesday for a dress-rehearsal countdown. Once complete and the crew is out of the spacecraft, SpaceX plans to test fire the first stage’s nine Merlin engines to verify the booster’s readiness for its first flight.
Assuming no problems crop up and the weather cooperates, the crew will strap in for real Friday morning around 1:15 a.m. for a launch at 3:49 a.m. Moghbeli and Mogensen will monitor a series of automated rendezvous maneuvers leading to a docking at the space station just after 2 a.m. Saturday.
“This is our seventh operational mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro. “And even though we have a robust manifest here, we are always super excited when we’re going to stick a human on the rocket. (It) always ups the level of excitement.”
Borisov and Moghbeli, a Marine lieutenant colonel with more than 150 combat missions to her credit, are making their first spaceflight. Mogensen visited the space station for nine days in 2015 as part of a short-duration Russian Soyuz swap-out flight while Furukawa logged 167 days aboard the outpost in 2011.
Borisov is the third Russian to fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of an agreement between NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, to launch one NASA astronaut aboard each Soyuz flight to the station and one cosmonaut aboard each ISS-bound Crew Dragon.
Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov answers a question from the news media after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 20, 2023. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
The agreement ensures at least one crew member from each country is always aboard the station even if an emergency of some sort forced a Soyuz or Crew Dragon to depart early.
“If ever you’ve seen the evidence of this being an international program, you’re seeing it today with this crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who welcomed the Crew-7 fliers to Florida. “Of all crews, this is the most international that we’ve had, and I think it shows the breadth of the cooperation around the globe.”
Said Borisov: “I’m honored to be part of the … most international crew ever. Experienced astronauts and cosmonauts, they say that when you go to the ISS and you look at the planet, you see that there are no borders. And really, I want to continue and to convey that feeling and that emotion and also to support the cooperation which we have been having so far.”
The crew in their SpaceX suits during a pre-flight training visit to their Crew Dragon capsule. From left to right: Mission Specialist Konstantin Borisov, Pilot Andreas Mogensen, Commander Jasmin Moghbeli, and Mission Specialist Satoshi Furukawa. Image: SpaceX.Quelle: SN----Update: 25.08.2023.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Go for Launch to Space Station
NASA, SpaceX, and international partners have completed the launch readiness review for the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. Crew-7 managers gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday to review the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft readiness and decided launch is “Go” for liftoff to the space station. Launch now is targeted for 3:50 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available at 3:27 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26.
On Wednesday, rocket and ground systems engineering teams completed the detailed data reviews following the integrated static fire of the Falcon 9 rocket conducted the day before at Launch Complex 39A. Falcon 9 performance was normal, resulting in a successful full duration static fire of all nine Merlin first-stage engines.
Operations teams are not tracking any major issues with Falcon 9 or the Dragon spacecraft. NASA and SpaceX spent Wednesday working toward final launch readiness, with remaining work expected to be completed ahead of launch.
The International Space Station Program is monitoring the potential need for a debris avoidance maneuver early afternoon Thursday, Aug. 24, for the orbital outpost. Space station mission control trajectory teams are tracking the debris and determining whether a short duration burn of the station’s thrusters would be required. If needed, the maneuver is not expected to impact the planned arrival of the Roscosmos ISS Progress cargo spacecraft also on Thursday. More information will be provided as orbital trajectory teams review the data and determine whether the debris would fly in the vicinity of the space station requiring a change in station’s altitude.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members arrive at Launch Complex 39A during a dry dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 22, 2023. Photo credit: SpaceX
On Tuesday, Crew-7 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 participated in a rehearsal of launch day activities in preparation for the upcoming Crew-7 launch.
Rehearsal began with launch teams assisting Crew-7 crewmates into their SpaceX spacesuits inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building – just as they will on launch day. Next, the crew took the elevator down to the ground floor and exited the building’s double doors, where Tesla Model X vehicles were waiting to drive them the short distance to the launch site.
After they arrived at the launch pad, Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov rode the launch tower’s elevator up to the crew access arm – the walkway they will use to enter Dragon, named Endurance. Once securely seated inside, the crew members checked their communications systems and performed seat rotation and suit leak checks. The rehearsal concluded with closure of the spacecraft’s side hatch, which normally occurs about one hour and 25 minutes before liftoff.
Forecasters with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern.
Starting at 11:45 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 24, the live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Check the Crew-7 blog starting at 11 p.m., for key events leading up to launch and through spacecraft separation.
We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this mission.
Quelle: NASA
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Crew-7 Targets Saturday Launch to Space Station
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 3:27 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, for launch of the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station.
Mission managers met on Thursday to discuss the status toward final readiness for a Friday launch opportunity. After performing an extra data review, teams decided to take additional time to reconfirm required factors of safety and operational margin on one of the Dragon spacecraft’s environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) components. The new launch date provides teams additional time to complete the analysis and thoroughly review the necessary data ahead of launch. All ECLSS valves on the Crew-7 and Crew-6 Dragon spacecraft are performing normally, and performed as expected in all preflight testing. Safety continues to be the team’s top priority. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft remain healthy as teams complete and discuss the final results of this additional analysis, and the crew is ready to fly when the entire team is ready.
For a launch on Saturday, the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria.
The Dragon spacecraft carrying 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 launch atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27.
