Immunology Studies and Robotics for Orbital Residents as Crew and Cargo Craft Count Down to Launch

xpedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares tubes to collect samples from the crew for the Immunity Assay investigation.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares tubes to collect samples from the crew for the Immunity Assay investigation.

One crew and one cargo spacecraft on two different continents are counting down to launch as the seven orbital residents aboard the International Space Station spent Wednesday exploring how space affects the immune system, carrying out robotics activities, and connecting with students on Earth.

Three crew members are gearing up to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, March 21. NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus will lift off aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft at 9:21 a.m. EDT and take a short ride to the station, docking only a few hours later at 12:39 p.m., joining the Expedition 70 crew in microgravity. This will be Dyson’s third trip to the orbital complex, where she will spend six months conducting research in low Earth orbit.

Only a few hours after the crew arrives, NASA’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply mission will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The Dragon cargo craft, scheduled to launch at 4:55 p.m. on Thursday, will carry an array of new science and technology investigations, as well as food and supplies for the crew. Dragon will orbit Earth before autonomously docking to the zenith port of the Harmony module at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

In microgravity, the crew split up duties on Wednesday as they prepare for the upcoming station traffic. In the morning, Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick of NASA collected samples for the Immunity Assay investigation. Afterward, Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps of NASA processed the samples for the experiment. Immunity Assay looks at the impact of spaceflight on cellular immune functions in blood samples, tests that could only previously be conducted on Earth. With new tech, processing samples inflight helps researchers gain a better understanding of astronauts’ immune changes during long-duration space missions.

Dominick and Epps later teamed up to reconfigure some of the cameras aboard station that the crew uses to take photos of research, Earth, and more.

In the Japanese Experiment Module, Flight Engineer Michael Barratt of NASA powered on the free-flying Astrobee robots and conducted a Zero Robotics tech demonstration. Zero Robotics allows students on Earth to write software to control Astrobee, inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.

Afterward, Barratt teamed up with Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA to conduct an ISS Ham Radio session with a school in Greece. During the session, Barratt and O’Hara answered questions from students about living and working in space.

In the Nauka module, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced air ventilation filters, then moved on to collect and process water samples from the Roscosmos water processing system. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin practiced his piloting techniques during a Pilot-T session, while Commander Oleg Kononenko prepped for Soyuz’s arrival as he will be on deck to monitor the autonomous docking of the spacecraft.


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

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Equipment Installs, Health Studies for Expedition 70 Ahead of Crew and Cargo Launches

NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Michael Barratt uses an iPad to review the on-orbit schedule for residents aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Michael Barratt uses an iPad to review the on-orbit schedule for residents aboard the International Space Station.

Equipment installs, health investigations, and training occupied the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the seven orbital residents near the arrival of three crew members and a cargo delivery.

NASA’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply mission to the station is scheduled for launch at 4:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 21 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The Dragon cargo craft will deliver food, supplies, and new science investigations to the crew, including a set of sensors for the free-flying Astrobee robots and a new botany experiment to examine how two types of grass capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Dragon will autonomously dock to the zenith port of the Harmony module at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

Ahead of Dragon’s liftoff, three crew members—NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus—will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:21 a.m. Thursday, March 21. The international crew will take a short ride to the station, docking only a few hours later at 12:39 p.m., before opening the hatch and joining the Expedition 70 crew in microgravity. Dyson will begin a six-month microgravity research mission once aboard, while Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will spend 12 days on station before departing back to Earth with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.

Aboard station, the crew is back to work following a few days off-duty. Throughout the day, O’Hara and two of her NASA crewmates, Michael Barratt and Matthew Dominick, completed a round of SpaceX Dragon rendezvous training ahead of Dragon’s cargo arrival.

In the morning, Barratt assisted O’Hara with a blood sample collection for the CIPHER investigation. O’Hara then moved on to complete additional CIPHER tasks, including a Robotics On-Board Trainer research session to assess her cognitive performance and spatial cognition changes while conducting robotics maneuvers such as grappling and docking a spacecraft. CIPHER, or Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research, is an all-encompassing, total-body approach that examines how humans adapt to spaceflight.

Later on, Barratt installed the Space Automated Bioproducts Lab for future life, physical, and material science investigations. Dominick installed a new humidifier in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility for upcoming Space Organogenesis research. This investigation uses the microgravity environment to enable 3D cell growth to promote regenerative technology that could someday help people in need of transplants on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps spent the morning collecting biological samples for the Standard Measures investigation then moved into the Destiny laboratory module to set up the Robotic Arm Repair Satellite (RSat). RSat, installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox, explores how CubeSats fitted with a robotic arm might be used to repair larger satellites.

Cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin and Nikolai Chub spent the day working with the Roscosmos water processing system, running a distillation cycle and collecting samples. Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos donned a belt packed with sensors to monitor blood circulation in microgravity then practiced his piloting techniques during a Pilot-T session.


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

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Light-Duty Day for Station Residents Ahead of Crew and Cargo Launches

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after having been rolled out to launch pad at Site 31, Monday, March 18, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after having been rolled out to launch pad at Site 31, Monday, March 18, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

This week is shaping up to be busy for the International Space Station as the Expedition 70 septet will see the arrival of three new crew members and the delivery of new science later this week. Aboard the orbital complex, the four NASA residents had a light-duty day ahead of upcoming mission events, while the three cosmonauts completed some routine station maintenance and training.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 21 for liftoff of SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply mission from the Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The Dragon cargo craft will deliver new science investigations, food, and supplies to the crew when it autonomously docks to the zenith port of the Harmony module at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

Ahead of Dragon’s liftoff, three crew members—NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus—will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:21 a.m. Thursday, March 21. The international crew will dock to the station only a few hours later at 12:39 p.m. before opening the hatch and joining the Expedition 70 crew in microgravity. Dyson will spend approximately six months living and working in low Earth orbit, while Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will spend about two weeks on station before departing with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.

O’Hara, along with her three NASA crewmates Jeanette Epps, Michael Barratt, and Matthew Dominick, had the day off aboard station on Monday as they gear up for a busy week. The quartet did schedule in some time for their required two hours of exercise using the station’s treadmill, Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), and the station’s bicycle, CEVIS. Epps and O’Hara also set up equipment for the Standard Measures investigation that will be used later in the week.

The three cosmonauts—Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin—kept busy on Monday with a variety of tasks. Grebenkin and Chub conducted some routine orbital plumbing, while Kononenko audited equipment that will return to Earth aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in a few weeks. Grebenkin also collected equipment and surface samples around the Roscosmos segment for ongoing microbiology research, while Chub practiced his piloting techniques during a Pilot-T session.


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

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Station Crew Explores Space Health as Dragon Crew Nears Launch

The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured shortly after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 25, 2024. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured shortly after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 25, 2024. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Human research, space physics, and airlock operations started the week for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members are counting down to their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost.

Exercising daily in space is critical to maintain crew health due to the effects of living long-term in weightlessness. Astronauts work out on specialized exercise gear designed specifically for the microgravity environment including a treadmill, an exercise cycle, and the advanced resistive exercise device. Doctors frequently monitor these exercise sessions while crew members are attached to sensors, electrodes, and breathing gear.

Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns pedaling on the exercise cycle Monday morning for a workout study. The duo exercised inside the Destiny laboratory module for the regularly scheduled aerobics and fitness test that measures heart and breathing rate.

Moghbeli then moved on and joined NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara to work on the NanoRacks Bishop airlock inside the Tranquility module. Both astronauts spent Monday afternoon reconfiguring Bishop after it was reattached to Tranquility following a week of experimental GITAI-S2 robotics tests. The autonomous robotic arm demonstration explores using automated robots to build habitats and spacecraft on future lunar and planetary missions. Furukawa also assisted with the airlock work after he inspected hatches in the U.S. segment of the space station.

Physics was also on the research schedule as O’Hara and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) serviced samples and hardware for a pair of different experiments. O’Hara swapped optic fiber samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox for an investigation exploring how to manufacture fiber optic cables superior to those produced on Earth. Mogensen replaced components inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a space fire safety experiment.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub had a fitness evaluation on Monday as he jogged on a treadmill with electrodes attached to his chest measuring his heart rate. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov tried on a suit being tested for its ability to help crew members adjust to Earth’s gravity after living for months or years in space.

Meanwhile, the space station is orbiting higher after the docked Progress 87 resupply ship fired its engines for over 17 minutes on Friday. The orbital reboost positions the station for next month’s launch of the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship and the departure of the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship.

Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members representing the SpaceX Crew-8 mission are at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing for their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Commander Matt Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will lift off aboard Dragon at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday. They will dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 6 a.m. on Saturday beginning a six-month space research mission on the orbital lab.


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

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Station Crew Packing Dragon and Continuing Space Research

An aurora dances in the horizon of Earth's atmosphere as city lights shine through clouds cast over Mongolia while the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above.
An aurora dances in the horizon of Earth’s atmosphere as city lights shine through clouds cast over Mongolia while the space station orbited 263 miles above.

The Expedition 70 crew members are picking up the pace as they load a U.S. cargo craft for its upcoming departure. The seven International Space Station residents are also staying focused on an array of microgravity science to improve human health and commercialize low Earth orbit.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is nearing the end of its stay docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. Four astronauts will be packing over 3,500 pounds of science and hardware inside Dragon over the next few days for retrieval and analysis back on Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) removed science cargo freezers containing research samples from station EXPRESS racks and stowed them inside Dragon for the ride back to Earth. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa transferred cargo bags packed with hardware and trash and strapped them inside Dragon securing them for the descent into Earth’s gravity.

The crew continued to pack hardware and science aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft today for a scheduled undocking on Thursday afternoon as managers and operations teams evaluate weather conditions at the various splashdown sites available for the vehicle’s return to Earth.

Despite the busy cargo activities, microgravity research remained on track as the crew continued exploring how weightlessness affects biology and physics. O’Hara from NASA processed cell samples for incubation that researchers will analyze to explore aging-like properties of immune cells and the regenerative capacity of liver cells. The Space AGE health study may provide deeper insights into the biology of aging and its effects on disease mechanisms.

Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) swapped components inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox supporting a physics experiment to produce optical fibers superior to those manufactured on Earth. The Fiber Optic Production-2 experiment may advance optical transmission capabilities benefiting Earth and space industries.

Mogensen earlier worked in the Harmony module shaking mixture tubes containing different organisms for a variety of biology and botany studies promoting health. The tubes are part of a program sponsored by NanoRacks enabling educational and private organizations to conduct research on the space station.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub took turns today wearing a sensor-packed cap and operating a computer for an ongoing Roscosmos study exploring futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques. Researchers will use the data to train future crew members and plan potential crewed planetary missions. Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov spent most of his day on life support maintenance then synchronized cameras to station clocks which are set to GMT, or Greenwich Mean Time.


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

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NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Land in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft deploys its parachute for landing in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft deploys its parachute for landing in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio ended his record-breaking time in space with a parachute-assisted landing in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. EDT (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) Wednesday, Sept. 27. Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth at 3:54 a.m. when the Soyuz undocked from the International Space Station.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

During his 371 days aboard the station, Rubio experienced:

  • Approximately 5,936 orbits of Earth
  • Approximately 157,412,306 statute miles traveled (equivalent of approximately 328 round trips to the Moon and back)
  • Fifteen spacecraft visiting the International Space Station, including four Roscosmos Progress cargo ships, two Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft, two Roscosmos Soyuz, four crewed SpaceX Dragons, and three uncrewed SpaceX Dragons.

Expedition 70 now is underway on the space station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

 


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

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NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Returning to Earth Live on NASA TV

(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured. The three have undocked from the space station and are headed back to Earth.
(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured. The three have undocked from the space station and are headed back to Earth.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ return to Earth is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth in the early morning hours when the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Prichal module at 3:54 a.m. EDT. The trio are heading for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station at the time of undocking with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.


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

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Soyuz Undocks, Crew Headed Back to Earth

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station's Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station’s Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.

At 3:54 a.m. EDT NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, undocked from the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz is heading for a parachute-assisted landing Wednesday, Sept. 27, on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

NASA coverage of the crew’s deorbit burn and landing will begin at 6 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app with landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station at the time of undocking with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.


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

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Crewed Soyuz Spacecraft Undocking Live on NASA TV

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station's Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station’s Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ departure from the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, closed the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft about 12:41 a.m. EDT. The Soyuz spacecraft will undock at 3:54 a.m. from the Prichal module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

While clocking the single longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut, Rubio has contributed to dozens of scientific studies.

Rubio helped nurture and monitor vegetables harvested with the space station’s Vegetable Production System, or Veggie. The Veggie study evaluates protocols for growing produce in space, and whether plants grown in microgravity can help satisfy the dietary needs of astronauts on more distant spaceflight missions.

In addition, Rubio provided biological samples, completed surveys, and performed tests for a study that collects a core set of measurements from astronauts, called Spaceflight Standard Measures. The measurements serve as a baseline for how multiple systems in the body react to spaceflight, from human cognition to the immune system. Other biological samples will be frozen and archived for future life science studies.

Rubio also became the first astronaut to participate in a study examining how exercising with limited gym equipment affects the human body. Recognizing that crew members traveling to the Moon and elsewhere will not have enough room in their spacecraft for a treadmill, researchers are eager to determine whether other exercise regimens could keep crews healthy on long missions. So rather than running on the space station’s treadmill, Rubio exercised only on the space station’s bicycle and weightlifting machine.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

 


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

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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NASA TV Live With Crew Farewell and Hatch Closure

The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station's Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module.
The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station’s Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ end of mission aboard the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, will close the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft at 12:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 27, to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz will undock from the Rassvet module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Mission coverage will air live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app at the following times (all EDT):

  • 3:30 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins (undocking scheduled at 3:54 a.m.)
  • 6 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage begins (landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. / 5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time)

Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin launched Sept. 21, 2022, on Soyuz MS-22, and will wrap up a 371-day mission spanning 5,936 orbits of Earth and more than 150 million miles. During the year-long mission, Rubio broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, previously held at 355 days. This was the first space flight for Rubio and Petelin, and the second space flight for Prokopyev who is ending the mission with 568 cumulative days spent in space.

Following the undocking of the Soyuz with the trio aboard, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.


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

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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