The four Axiom Mission 3 astronauts (front row) and the seven Expedition 70 crew members wave to the camera after greeting each other on Jan. 20, 2024. Credit: NASA TV
NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Feb. 6, for the undocking of Axiom Mission 3 from the International Space Station. Teams are standing down from the Monday, Feb. 5, undocking opportunity of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Axiom crew members due to weather conditions off the coast of Florida. The next weather review is planned for 3 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 4. NASA will provide additional information on coverage.
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying four Axiom MIssion 3 astronauts is pictured docked to the space station on Jan. 20, 2024. Credit: NASA TV
NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Monday, Feb. 5, for the undocking of Axiom Mission 3 from the International Space Station. Teams are standing down from the Saturday, Feb. 3, undocking opportunity of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Axiom crew members due to weather conditions off the coast of Florida. The next weather review is planned for 8 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 3. NASA will provide additional information on coverage.
The 11 crew members representing the Expedition 70 (red shirts) and Axiom Space 3 (dark blue suits) crews gather for a farewell ceremony calling down to mission controllers on Earth. Credit: NASA TV
The Expedition 70 and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crews called down to Mission Control on Friday for a farewell ceremony as the four private astronauts target their departure for Saturday morning. The orbital residents aboard the International Space Station worked just half-a-day packing the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft before going to bed early to get ready for the spacecraft’s undocking.
The Ax-3 private astronauts are in their final day aboard the orbital outpost following two weeks of science and educational activities. The foursome, led by Commander Michael López-Alegría, is currently targeted to undock inside Dragon from the Harmony module’s forward port at 6:05 a.m. EST on Saturday. López-Alegría, along with Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt, will then parachute inside Dragon to the splashdown site where support personnel from Axiom Space and SpaceX await their arrival. Mission managers will receive a final weather report before giving the Ax-3 quartet the final go for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.
Space station Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) helped the Ax-3 crewmates wrap up their mission activities helping reconfigure the orbital lab for standard crew operations. NASA Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara joined in and retrieved station emergency gear from Dragon and stowed science hardware inside the returning spacecraft.
Earlier, O’Hara partnered with astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and transferred research samples from the newly arrived Cygnus cargo craft into science freezers aboard the station. Furukawa later swapped out research hardware that supports botany and biology experiments with a minimum of astronaut intervention inside the Columbus laboratory module.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub packed the Progress 85 resupply ship, docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port, with trash and discarded items before it ends its cargo mission and undocks later this month. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his shift configuring a variety of experiment hardware. Borisov serviced a camera that observes Earth’s atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths, charged hardware that documents crew interactions with mission controllers from around the world, then deactivated medical gear that continuously monitors a crew member’s blood pressure.
The Cygnus space freighter, with its two cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays, is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm after its capture on Feb. 1, 2024.
As part of NASA’s commercial resupply services, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station today packed with science and supplies for the Expedition 70 crew. The seven orbital outpost residents now turn their attention to the departure of four Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) visitors.
About three hours later, O’Hara and NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli equalized pressure between Cygnus and the space station then opened Cygnus’ hatch to begin six months of cargo operations. They were followed by Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) who began unpacking new research samples and stowing them inside lab freezers for upcoming science investigations.
Mogensen also helped the four Ax-3 astronauts prepare for their departure from the station aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft for no earlier than Saturday morning. Mission managers from Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA are monitoring weather conditions at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida before making a final undocking decision.
Ax-3 astronauts Michael López-Alegría and Walter Villadei packed completed science experiments in lab freezers and prepared them for stowage aboard their Dragon spacecraft Thursday morning. The duo then joined fellow Ax-3 crewmates Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt for a conference with mission controllers discussing the cargo that will be returning with them aboard Dragon.
All four private astronauts will join the seven-member Expedition 70 crew at 9:50 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2, for a farewell ceremony aboard the space station. The event will be broadcast live on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA TV, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts worked throughout Thursday on their complement of science and cargo activities in the station’s Roscosmos segment. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Konstantin Borisov carried out an Earth observation experiment to support educational and commercial opportunities on Earth. Afterward, Chub conducted a fluid physics study while Borisov began a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring session. Borisov later installed an ultraviolet camera to capture nighttime imagery of Earth’s atmosphere. Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko inventoried cargo in the Prichal docking module then stowed cargo inside the Progress 85 resupply ship docked to the rear of the Zvezda service module.
NASA will share more on Axiom Mission 3’s departure as available following the next weather review. The mission is the third private astronaut mission to the space station enabled by NASA.
The Cygnus cargo craft from Northrop Grumman launches atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from its launch pad in Florida. Credit: NASA TV
A fresh supply of more than 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo is on its way to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft after launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 12:07 p.m. EST Tuesday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA Television and the agency’s website continue to provide live coverage of the ascent. About 15 minutes after launch, Cygnus will reach its preliminary orbit and is expected to complete its solar arrays deployment about two hours after launch.
Cygnus is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.
NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival beginning at 2:45 a.m.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
This is Northrop Grumman’s 20th contracted resupply mission for NASA.
The Cygnus cargo craft from Northrop Grumman sits atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at its launch pad in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
NASA Television coverage is underway for the launch of Northrop Live NASA coverage is underway for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for the agency. The launch of the company’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for 12:07 p.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Loaded with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the spacecraft will arrive at the orbiting outpost Thursday, Feb. 1. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
The four Axiom Mission 3 astronauts (front row) gather with the Expedition 70 crew inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Credit: NASA TV
Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci are now aboard the International Space Station following Dragon’s hatch opening at 7:13 a.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 20.
Ax-3 docked to the orbital complex at 5:42 a.m. while the spacecraft was flying 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean, west of South America. It is the third mission with an entirely private crew to arrive at the orbiting laboratory.
The Axiom Space crew are joining Expedition 70 crew members aboard station, including NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub.
Next up, the station crew members will take part in a welcome ceremony aboard the International Space Station.
Axiom Space astronauts are expected to depart the space station Feb. 3, pending weather, for a return to Earth and splashdown at a landing site off the coast of Florida.
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying four Axiom Mission 3 astronauts is pictured docked to the space station shortly after an orbital sunrise. Credit: NASA TV
Axiom Mission 3 astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci arrived at the International Space Station at 5:42 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 20. Dragon docked to the orbital complex while the spacecraft was flying about 262 miles over the Pacific Ocean, west of South America.
Live coverage continues on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website for hatch opening and crew remarks.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying four Axiom Mission 3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Freedom spacecraft launches from the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Chris Swanson
The NASA+ streaming service, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website are providing live coverage for the arrival of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station. Ax-3 astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt and Alper Gezeravci are scheduled to dock as early as 5:40 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan 20, to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
The NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams are now conducting integrated operations which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station. NASA maintains mission responsibility during integrated operations, which continues during the crew’s stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the space station.
When Axiom Space Mission 3 arrives to the International Space Station, it will be the third mission with an entirely private crew to visit the orbiting laboratory.
The welcome ceremony is expected to start shortly after the Dragon’s hatch opens at approximately 7:20 a.m. Live mission coverage will end with the conclusion of the ceremony.
The third all private astronaut mission lifted off at 4:49 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 18, on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center carrying four Axiom Mission 3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Freedom spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX
The seven-member Expedition 70 crew will welcome the third private astronaut mission from Axiom Space to the International Space Station on Saturday. The Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday carrying four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The foursome will conduct a two-week research and education mission on the orbital outpost.
Station Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, both from NASA, will be on duty monitoring Dragon when it begins its automated approach and rendezvous. Dragon will dock to the forward port on the station’s Harmony module at around 4:19 a.m. EST on Saturday. About an hour-and-a-half later, the hatches will open and Ax-3 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will enter the space station followed by Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravci and Marcus Wandt.
Coverage will air live beginning at 2:30 a.m. Saturday on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA TV, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Lopez-Alegria, a dual citizen of the United States and Spain, is making his second visit to the station as a private astronaut from Axiom Space. This will be Lopez-Alegria’s sixth time to space. The three other Ax-3 crew members, Villadei from Italy, Gezeravci from Turkey, and Wandt from Sweden, are each making their first flight to space.
O’Hara and Moghbeli had light duty on the orbital outpost on Friday ahead of a busy day of dual crew operations on Saturday. The two NASA astronauts began Friday with housecleaning tasks and computer maintenance before taking the afternoon off. Astronauts Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) and Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) helped out with the lab tidying duties before splitting up to service science hardware and tablet computers. The ESA and JAXA duo also had a light duty day taking half the day off at the end of the week.
The station’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos stayed busy throughout Friday focusing on their schedule of science and maintenance. Five-time station flight engineer Oleg Kononenko started his day installing software on a computer in the Nauka science module then inspected surfaces inside the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub jogged on a treadmill for a fitness assessment before studying how magnetic and electrical fields affect fluid physics. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his day on a variety of life support and orbital plumbing work in the space station’s Roscosmos segment.
