Crew-7 mission launches to the International Space Station
Crew-7 launches atop a Falcon 9 rocket to begin a 30-hour trek to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX launched the multinational Crew-7 Dragon mission carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut bound for a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket took place at 3:27 a.m. EDT (07:27 UTC) Aug. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard is NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.
“SpaceX, thanks for the ride. It was awesome,” said spacecraft commander Moghbeli. “We may have four crew members on board from four different nations — Denmark, Japan, Russia, USA — but we’re a united team with a common mission.”
The multinational crew embarked on their journey aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endurance,” which is flying to space for the third time after the Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions in 2021 and 2022. Crew-7 is also the seventh operational crew rotation flight under the Commercial Crew Program, the eighth crewed Dragon flight for NASA, and SpaceX’s 11th crewed flight overall.
The Crew-7 walkout. From left to right: Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Credit: NASA
For this mission, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket used a new first stage booster, core B1081. It provided the bulk of uphill thrust for the Crew-7 mission for the first 2.5 minutes. Afterward, it separated and began the process of boosting back toward Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, landing at Landing Zone 1 about 8 minutes after liftoff.
At the same time, the second stage continued propelling Crew Dragon toward space, reaching orbit at about 10 minutes after liftoff.
Crew-7 is expected to take nearly 30 hours to reach the ISS, docking with the space-facing port of the Harmony module at about 8:39 a.m. EDT (12:39 UTC) Aug. 27. The four aboard will then enter the station to join with the seven people already aboard the ISS.
Over the next six months, these astronauts and cosmonaut will call the ISS home, conducting a wide array of experiments and technology demonstrations. According to NASA, more than 200 investigations are planned during the duration of the Crew-7 mission.
This includes the collection of microbial samples from the station’s exterior that promises to shed light on the unique microorganisms that thrive beyond Earth’s confines.
A member of the ISS External Microorganisms payload development team demonstrates removing a swab from the sampling caddy that will be used by an astronaut during a spacewalk. A crew member will use the swabbing tool to collect samples from the exterior surface of the International Space Station at various locations as part of a study to examine whether a spacecraft releases microorganisms and, if so, how many and how far they may travel. Results could inform preparations for future human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. Photo and Caption Credit: NASA
Moreover, the crew is set to contribute to groundbreaking research by participating in the first-ever study of human responses to different spaceflight durations, providing crucial insights for future long-duration missions.
Additionally, an exploration into the physiological aspects of sleep in microgravity is also set to expand our understanding of astronaut well-being during extended missions.
The four members of the Crew-7 mission are replacing the Crew-6 quartet, who have been aboard the ISS since March. They include NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
After a weeklong handover period with the new crew, the Crew-6 astronauts and cosmonaut will undock from the space station and return to Earth, splashing down in the ocean off the coast of Florida.
Also aboard the ISS are Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who have been in space since Sept. 21, 2022. They are slated to return to Earth in Soyuz MS-23 on Sept. 27, concluding the longest single stay aboard the ISS to date.
Video courtesy of NASA
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson has a degree in mass media, with an emphasis in contemporary journalism, from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. While at Washburn, he was the managing editor of the student run newspaper, the Washburn Review. He also has a website about human spaceflight called Orbital Velocity. You can find him on twitter @TheSpaceWriter.
