Off-Duty Day for Dragon Crew as Cosmonauts Gear Up for Spacewalk

The four crewmates who flew to the station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour are (from left) Sultan Alneyadi, Woody Hoburg, Stephen Bowen, and Andrey Fedyaev.
The four crewmates who flew to the station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour are (from left) Sultan Alneyadi, Woody Hoburg, Stephen Bowen, and Andrey Fedyaev.

Four Expedition 69 crew members are relaxing today following Saturday’s relocation of a U.S. crew ship. At the same time, three cosmonauts are gearing up for another spacewalk to outfit a science module on the International Space Station.

Sunday and Monday were off-duty days for flight engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, both from NASA, Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates, and Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos. The four crewmates cleared their schedules both days taking time out for personal activities, light cleaning duties, and exercise.

The foursome spent Saturday supporting the relocation of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour from the Harmony module’s space-facing port to Harmony’s forward port. The automated undocking and redocking maneuver lasted just 37 minutes while the undocking preparations and the post-docking configuration activities took up the majority of the crew’s time. This opens up Harmony’s top port for the arrival of the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission carrying the station’s newest roll-out solar arrays.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio also had Sunday and Monday off following his assistance with the Dragon relocation activities. Rubio worked Saturday configuring tools and software, opening and closing the station hatch, and monitoring Endeavour during its ride to a different Harmony port.

The year’s sixth spacewalk is planned for 11:55 a.m. EDT on Friday to continue outfitting the Roscosmos segment of the orbital outpost. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will once again exit the Poisk airlock and maneuver to the Nauka science module for the planned six-hour-plus spacewalk. Once there, the duo will deploy and activate a radiator they installed during a previous spacewalk on April 19. Fedyaev will help the cosmonauts in and out of their Orlan spacesuits and monitor the spacewalking activities.

NASA, Axiom Space, & SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:37 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 21, for launch of Axiom Mission 2 to the International Space Station. NASA & SpaceX also are targeting 12:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 3, for launch of the company’s 28th commercial resupply flight. The mission will carry the next pair of IROSAs, roll-out solar arrays, for the space station.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Dragon Crew Ship Docks to New Port

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft approaches the Harmony module's forward port for a docking during its relocation maneuver above the United States. Credit: NASA TV
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft approaches the Harmony module’s forward port for a docking during its relocation maneuver above the United States. Credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon, with Expedition 69 crew members Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard, has successfully docked to the forward port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 8:01 a.m. EDT.

This was the 27th spacecraft relocation in space station history. The move made room for the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon carrying cargo to station as part of the company’s 28th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, targeted to launch in June.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 members are scheduled to return to Earth in August.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Dragon Crew Ship Undocks to Move to New Port

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience is pictured during a relocation maneuver on April 5, 2021, carrying astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience is pictured during a relocation maneuver on April 5, 2021, carrying astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi.

The SpaceX Dragon, with Expedition 69 crew members Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard, has undocked from the Harmony module on the space-facing side of the complex, and is on its way to redock to the forward port of the module.

Redocking to the forward port of the module is planned for approximately 8:06 a.m. EDT, and is airing live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

This is the 27th spacecraft relocation in station history. The move is making room for the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon carrying cargo to station as part of the company’s 28th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, targeted to launch in June.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 members are scheduled to return to Earth in August.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Dragon Crew Ship Moving to New Port Live on NASA TV

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience is pictured during a relocation maneuver on April 5, 2021, carrying astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience is pictured during a relocation maneuver on April 5, 2021, carrying astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi.

NASA coverage is underway as four crew members aboard the International Space Station take a short trip inside their SpaceX Dragon to relocate the spacecraft from one docking port to another.

Undocking is scheduled at 7:10 a.m. EDT with redocking planned at 7:53 a.m. Relocation activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

The SpaceX Dragon, with Expedition 69 crew members Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will undock from the space-facing port of the Harmony module, and redock to the station’s forward Harmony port.

This will be the 27th spacecraft relocation in station history. The move will make room for the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon carrying cargo to station as part of the company’s 28th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, targeted to launch in June.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 members are scheduled to return to Earth in August.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Dragon Crew Ship Changing Ports, Cosmonauts Cleanup After Spacewalk

Four Expedition 69 flight engineers aboard the International Space Station pose for a portrait in the pressure suits they will wear when they relocate the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship.
Four Expedition 69 flight engineers aboard the International Space Station pose for a portrait in the pressure suits they will wear when they relocate the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship.

Four Expedition 69 crew members are reviewing the procedures they will use when they move the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to a new port on Saturday morning. The rest of the crew aboard the International Space Station is cleaning up after completing a spacewalk earlier this week.

NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will respectively command and pilot the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft when it undocks from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 7:10 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The pair will be flanked by UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev during the planned 43-minute relocation maneuver. Endeavour, with the four crewmates inside, will automatically redock to Harmony’s forward port at 7:53 a.m. NASA TV begins it live relocation coverage at 7 a.m. on the agency’s app and website.

The quartet began Friday morning simulating their spacecraft maneuvers in coordination with mission controllers on the ground. Afterward, the foursome held a space-to-ground conference with the controllers discussing training, procedures, and mission readiness.

Endeavour’s relocation will open up Harmony’s top port for the upcoming SpaceX CRS-28 cargo mission. This enables the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and access the cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship’s trunk. Inside Dragon’s trunk will be a new set of roll-out solar arrays that the Canadarm2 will grapple and temporarily stow on the station’s starboard-side truss structure. Two astronauts on a future spacewalk will permanently install the roll-out solar arrays on the starboard truss augmenting the orbital outpost’s power generation system.

Three cosmonauts reconfigured the Roscosmos segment of the space station following Wednesday’s spacewalk to move an experiment airlock. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin deactivated and cleaned their spacesuits then stowed the tools they used during their seven-hour, 11-minute spacewalk. Fedyaev, who controlled the European robotic arm (ERA) during the spacewalk, spent Friday inside the Nauka science module removing cameras and powering down the ERA.

Prokopyev and Petelin have one more spacewalk to conduct this month when they exit the Poisk airlock on May 12 to deploy a radiator that was attached to Nauka during a previous spacewalk on April 19. Fedyaev will be inside the station monitoring the spacewalkers who will also fill the radiator with coolant and perform maintenance on the ERA.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cosmonauts Move Experiment Airlock and Complete Spacewalk

Spacewalkers Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work outside the space station to install an experiment module on the Nauka science module with assistance from the European robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV
Spacewalkers Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work outside the space station to install an experiment module on the Nauka science module with assistance from the European robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin concluded their spacewalk May 3 at 11:11 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 11 minutes.

Prokopyev and Petelin completed their major objectives, which included relocating an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module with assistance from European robotic arm operator cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

This was the fifth spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the third for Petelin. It is the fifth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 262nd spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

The two Roscosmos cosmonauts will also conduct a spacewalk on Friday, May 12, to deploy a radiator on Nauka and connect mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic lines.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cosmonauts Begin Spacewalk to Move Experiment Airlock

Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work to remove a radiator from the space station's Rassvet module during a spacewalk on April 19, 2023.
Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work to remove a radiator from the space station’s Rassvet module during a spacewalk on April 19, 2023.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin began a spacewalk at 4:00 p.m. EDT to relocate an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module with assistance from European robotic arm operator cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Prokopyev is wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the fifth spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the third for Petelin. It is the fifth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 262nd spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Axiom Mission 2 No Longer Targeting Early May Launch

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the space station above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco on April 9, 2022.
The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the space station above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco on April 9, 2022.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are working together to identify the best availability opportunity to launch the Axiom Mission 2 to the space station; we are no longer targeting opportunities in early May. More information on the updated target launch date will be shared soon.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cosmonaut Spacewalkers Exiting Station Soon to Move Airlock

Expedition 69 Commander Sergey Prokopyev (left) is conducting his fifth career spacewalk. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin (right) is conducting his third spacewalk.
Expedition 69 Commander Sergey Prokopyev (left) is conducting his fifth career spacewalk. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin (right) is conducting his third spacewalk.

NASA Television coverage is underway for today’s spacewalk with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The duo, with assistance from European robotic arm operator cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will relocate an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module on the International Space Station. Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Prokopyev and Petelin will exit out of the Poisk module at about 4:05 p.m. EDT. Prokopyev is wearing the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the fifth spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the third for Petelin. It is the fifth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 262nd spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Crew Preps for Spacewalk and Dragon Relocation During Research

The space station's Nauka science module, Prichal docking module, and Soyuz MS-23 crew ship are pictured as the orbital lab soared 259 miles above north Africa.
The space station’s Nauka science module, Prichal docking module, and Soyuz MS-23 crew ship are pictured as the orbital lab soared 259 miles above north Africa.

Two cosmonauts are getting ready to exit the International Space Station on Wednesday to conduct the year’s fifth spacewalk. The rest of the Expedition 69 crew spent Tuesday preparing to relocate the SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship, setting up robotic free-flyers, and working on life support maintenance.

Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos are finalizing their procedure reviews and completing their Orlan spacesuit configurations today ahead of a spacewalk planned to start at 4:05 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. The duo will spend about six-and-a-half hours removing an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module then installing it on the Nauka science module. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev will be inside the station assisting the spacewalkers and maneuvering the European robotic arm with the airlock in its grip.

Coming up on Saturday, four crew members will enter the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour and move the spaceship to a new station port. NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will command and pilot, respectively, Endeavour while flanked by Flight Engineers Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Fedyaev of Roscosmos. The quartet will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 7:10 a.m. then redock to Harmony’s forward port at 7:53 a.m.

The quartet joined each other on Tuesday and checked the pressure suits they will wear during their short ride inside Dragon. The foursome also reviewed their relocation procedures, checked vehicle hatches, and configured the spacecraft cabin.

NASA TV is covering both the spacewalk and the Dragon relocation activities live on the agency’s app and website. Spacewalk coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and the Dragon relocation broadcast begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Robotics and bioprinting were the top research priorities on Tuesday in the midst of the spacewalk and Dragon preparations. Hoburg turned on an Astrobee robotic free-flyer in the Kibo laboratory module during the morning and tested its operations in conjunction with mission controllers. The robotics work is being done to demonstrate ways to control the free-flyers using student-written code. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio worked on the BioFabrication Facility (BFF) replacing and installing components. The BFF is designed to print organ-like tissues in microgravity and learn how to manufacture whole, fully-functioning human organs in space.

Bowen and Sultan partnered together during the morning inside the Destiny laboratory module working on life support gear. The duo took turns collecting water samples and replacing components from inside Destiny’s oxygen generation system.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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