The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft approaches the space station as it soars over Ontario on Aug. 27, 2023. Photo Credit: NASA TV
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov arrived at the International Space Station as the SpaceX Dragon, named Endurance, docked to the complex at 9:16 a.m. EDT Sunday while the station was 261 statute miles over Queensland, Australia.
Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard the Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening.
Crew-7 will join the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Andrey Fedyaev. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-6 members Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev return to Earth a few days later.
NASA Television and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live continuous coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.
The four SpaceX Crew-7 members pose for a portrait in their pressure suits. From left are, Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov. Credit: SpaceX
NASA Television and the agency’s website are providing live continuous coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on their way to the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock about 9:05 a.m. Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew aboard the spacecraft and the space station will monitor the performance of the spacecraft as it approaches and docks to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
When the hatches open, the Crew-7 astronauts will join the Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, as well as UAE astronaut (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Andrey Fedyaev. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-6 members Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev return to Earth a few days later.
The Moon is pictured above the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft on top at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
The International Space Station welcomed a new cargo craft overnight as mission managers postponed the launch of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission for 24 hours. The Expedition 69 crew members have begun unpacking the new cargo while servicing a variety of science equipment aboard the orbital lab.
Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin went to bed Friday mid-afternoon after monitoring the Roscosmos Progress 85 resupply ship as it docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port at 11:45 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The duo worked through leak and pressure checks, opened the Progress 85 hatch, then spent the next several hours offloading some of the nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to replenish the lab residents.
As the Roscosmos resupply ship approached the station, four SpaceX Crew-7 crew members in Florida were informed their launch to join the Expedition 69 crew would wait one more day. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is now scheduled for 3:27 a.m. EDT on Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Mission managers decided to use the extra day to review Dragon’s safety and life support systems.
Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli will lead Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos, during their flight to the station. The Commercial Crew quartet aboard Endurance will automatically dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 8:39 a.m. on Sunday. Soon after, the foursome will enter the station, greet the Expedition 69 crew, and begin a six-month microgravity research mission.
Meanwhile, the seven station crew members orbiting Earth are all but ready to welcome their four new crewmates. While the two cosmonauts were wrapping up Progress 85 activities and getting ready for bed, the other five lab residents worked on advanced research hardware and investigated ways to treat heart ailments.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as preparations continue for the launch of the Crew-7 mission. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
The Expedition 69 crew will receive a space delivery late Thursday night and just a few hours before a new crew will launch to the International Space Station. While the orbital residents are getting ready for both missions there was still some time for gene therapy research and lab maintenance tasks.
Two cosmonauts, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, will be on duty monitoring the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft during its automated docking planned for 11:50 p.m. EDT. During the morning, the duo practiced on the telerobotically operated rendezvous unit, or TORU, to remotely control an arriving spacecraft in the unlikely event the vehicle was unable to automatically dock. The Progress 85 is carrying three tons of food, fuel, and supplies the cosmonaut duo will begin unpacking about two hours after its arrival. The space freighter will remain docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port for six months of cargo activities.
About 4 hours after the resupply ship’s arrival, the SpaceX Crew-7 mission will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the orbital lab. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft with four Commercial Crew members atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 3:50 a.m. Friday.
Endurance, commanded by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli with Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos, will automatically dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 2:02 a.m. on Saturday. About two hours later the foursome will enter the station, greet the Expedition 69 crew, and begin a six-month microgravity research mission.
Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, both from NASA, and Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) prepared for Saturday’s Crew-7 arrival configuring the station for four new crew members. Bowen staged emergency equipment in the orbital lab’s U.S. segment that is standard procedure before a new crew arrives. Hoburg set up a new crew quarters in the Columbus laboratory module. Alneyadi configured computers inside the cupola that will monitor Dragon Endurance’s arrival on Saturday morning.
While the mission preparations were underway, NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio focused his time on biotechnology research. He treated cell samples to seek ways to closely mimic the human central nervous system and brain environment for the Neuronix investigation. Results may provide paths for researchers to discover new therapies treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module engines were fired for 21.5 seconds, beginning at 11 a.m. EDT to maneuver the complex away from the predicted track of an orbital debris fragment. The maneuver will not affect the rendezvous of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo vessel or the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.
The seven-member Expedition 69 crew gathers for a portrait. Clockwise from left are, Woody Hoburg, Dmitri Petelin, Sergey Prokopyev, Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Sultan Alneyadi and Andrey Fedyaev.
A cargo craft is orbiting Earth today heading toward the International Space Station as the seven Expedition 69 crew members studied how weightlessness affects cardiac tissue and the digestive system. Meanwhile, a new crew counts down to its launch early Friday.
Three tons of space supplies are packed aboard the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft and on the way to the orbital residents for a delivery scheduled at 11:50 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Station commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will be on duty Thursday night monitoring the Progress 85 when it automatically docks to the Zvezda service module’s aft port. The duo will wait about two hours during standard leak and pressure checks before opening the resupply ship’s hatch and begin unpacking the new food, fuel, and other cargo.
While the cargo activities get underway, the SpaceX Crew-7 mission will launch at 3:50 a.m. on Friday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Four Commercial Crew astronauts will be seated inside the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket awaiting a 24-hour trip to their new home in space.
NASA astronaut and Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli will be leading Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos aboard Endurance during the ride to the station. Endurance, with the quartet inside, will automatically dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 2:02 a.m. on Saturday. The foursome will open the hatch about two hours later, enter the station, greet the Expedition 69 crew, and begin a six-month microgravity research mission.
Meanwhile, the crewmates living in space explored how microgravity affects cardiac cells and the digestive system to benefit humans living on and off the Earth. NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Woody Hoburg treated samples of stem-cell derived heart micro-tissues on Wednesday in the Kibo laboratory module. The Project EAGLE biology study takes place in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox and may reveal potential therapies for space-caused cardiac abnormalities and Earth-bound heart diseases.
Prokopyev and Petelin started the day with ultrasound scans after breakfast to observe how the digestive system adapts to weightlessness. Prokopyev then partnered with Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev in the afternoon for more tests of the lower body negative pressure suit that may help crew members readjust to Earth’s gravity environment.
Fedyaev will be returning to Earth soon with Hoburg and astronauts Stephen Bowen of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates). The quartet will enter the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft one week after Crew-7 arrives, undock from Harmony’s forward port, and splashdown off the coast of Florida to complete a six-month space mission. During Wednesday afternoon, the four crewmates inspected their SpaceX pressure suits they will wear inside Endeavour when they depart the station for the ride back to Earth.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket engines fired for 6 seconds as part of the pre-launch static fire test on Tuesday prior to the launch of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission scheduled for 3:49 a.m. on Friday. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Two rockets on opposite sides of the world will launch to the International Space Station delivering cargo and a new crew this week. The first spaceship will launch from Kazakhstan Tuesday night hauling supplies to replenish the Expedition 69 crew. The second will launch from Florida sending four new crew members to the orbital lab.
The Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft is counting down to a launch at 9:08 p.m. EDT tonight from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will orbit Earth for two days before docking to the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 11:50 p.m. on Thursday. A few hours later on Friday, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin will open Progress 85’s hatches and begin unpacking about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies.
Four Commercial Crew astronauts were suited up inside the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida overnight for their dry dress launch countdown. A few hours later, the Falcon 9 engines fired for 6 seconds as part of the pre-launch static fire test. SpaceX Crew-7 is slated to launch at 3:49 a.m. on Friday.
Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA will lead Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency), and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos during their ride to the orbital lab. The quartet, inside the Endurance, will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 2:02 a.m. on Saturday beginning a six-month space research mission.
Back aboard the orbital outpost on Tuesday, the seven crewmates from the U.S., UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Russia stayed focused on microgravity research and lab maintenance.
Prokopyev attached sensors to himself for a long-running Roscosmos heart study during the morning. He later joined Petelin for ultrasound scans to observe how the digestive system adapts to weightlessness. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked on orbital plumbing tasks inside the Nauka science module.
At the end of the day, Fedyaev joined Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi to prepare for their upcoming departure on Sept. 1 inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and splashdown off the coast of Florida about 24 hours later. The quartet called down to ground specialists and discussed spacecraft operations during their return to Earth.
The four SpaceX Crew-7 members pose for a portrait in their pressure suits. From left are, Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov. Credit: SpaceX
The Expedition 69 crew is gearing up for cargo and crew vehicles headed to the International Space Station this week. The seven orbital residents are also continuing critical space research while preparing for September’s crew departure activities.
An extra port on the orbital outpost is open following the departure of the Roscosmos Progress 83 cargo craft on Sunday. It will be replaced by the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft after it launches at 9:08 p.m. EDT on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress 85 will dock at 11:50 p.m. on Thursday to the port left vacant by the Progress 83 on the aft end of the Zvezda service module.
Commander Sergey Prokopyev joined Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin on Monday training for the 85P’s arrival. The duo from Roscosmos practiced using the telerobotically operated rendezvous unit, or TORU, located in Zvezda. A cosmonaut would use the TORU to remotely control an arriving spacecraft in the unlikely event the approaching vehicle was unable to automatically dock.
Four Commercial Crew members are at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center counting down to their launch to the orbital lab at 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will command SpaceX Crew-7 Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency), and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos during their ride to the orbital lab. The quartet, inside the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft, will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 2:02 a.m. on Saturday.
One week after the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission, four Expedition 69 crewmates will return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen will lead Woody Hoburg of NASA, Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos when they undock from Harmony’s forward port in Endeavour on Sept. 1 and splash down off the coast of Florida about 24 hours later.
The soon-to-be departing quartet reviewed their departure activities and Dragon deorbit procedures on computer tablets at the end of the day on Monday. Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi also tried on specialized garments, also known as orthostatic intolerance garments, that will help their bodies re-adapt to Earth’s gravity shortly after returning. The foursome launched to the station as the SpaceX Crew-6 mission on March 2, docked the following day, entered the station, and became Expedition 68-69 flight engineers.
Petelin and Fedyaev tested their own version of a suit, called the lower body negative pressure suit, that helps crew members readjust to Earth’s gravity environment. The cosmonauts are evaluating the unique suit for its potential to redistribute fluids that have pooled in the upper body, due to microgravity, toward the lower body.
Even amid the upcoming mission activities, microgravity science was underway aboard the orbital lab. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio worked on science hardware throughout Monday, first reconfiguring the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a biology research incubator. Afterward, he swapped out more graphene aerogel samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for a space manufacturing study. Alneyadi set up the Neuronix gene therapy study in the Life Science Glovebox to begin exploring potential therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
An apple and an orange float weightlessly inside the cupola with the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship docked to the Prichal docking module outside.
The Expedition 69 crew began its day with health checks before moving on to biology and physics research at the end of the week. The International Space Station residents also kept up their maintenance activities while preparing for next week’s cargo and crew missions.
NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen started his morning setting up a periodic health evaluation for himself and fellow astronauts Woody Hoburg of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates). The trio attached sensors to themselves connected to a tablet computer measuring vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate.
Alneyadi once again swapped graphene aerogel samples, with Bowen’s assistance, in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for a space manufacturing study. After replacing orbital plumbing gear, the UAE astronaut filmed short videos depicting space communication activities for junior high school students.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio took the day off on Friday spending time on personal activities and his daily exercise regimen. On Sept. 11, Rubio is due to break NASA’s single spaceflight record of 355 days set previously by astronaut Mark Vande Hei on March 30, 2022. Rubio arrived at the station on Sept.21, 2022, with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The trio is due to return to Earth at the end of September.
Prokopyev ended his week testing a 3D printer then exploring piloting and robotic techniques that may be used on future planetary missions. Petelin took an inventory of gear located throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment then tested ways international crews and mission controllers can improve communications.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev spent Friday morning repairing a water regeneration system. He then spent the rest of the afternoon inspecting and cleaning laptop computers.
The ISS Progress 83 cargo craft will end its six-month stay at the orbital lab on Sunday when it undocks from the Zvezda service module’s aft port at 7:48 p.m. EDT. The ISS Progress 85 cargo craft will replace it on Thursday Aug. 24, when it docks to the same Zvezda port two days after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Just four hours after the Progress 85 arrives, four crew members aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center to the orbital outpost. The SpaceX Crew-7 mission will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing just one day after its liftoff and the four crew mates will enter the orbiting lab to begin a six-month space research mission.
Astronaut Woody Hoburg works on physics research to create a superior graphene aerogel benefitting both Earth and space industries.
The Expedition 69 crew pointed its research program toward cancer therapies, vein scans, and space manufacturing on Thursday. The International Space Station will also see a Roscosmos cargo craft and a SpaceX crew spacecraft arrive next week.
Science on the orbital outpost can help doctors develop innovative treatments for a variety of health conditions on Earth. The weightless environment can reveal new phenomena offering unique insights impossible to discover in laboratories on Earth.
Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates), working out of the Life Science Glovebox, serviced stem cell samples to learn how to increase their production in space. Scientists will use the research data to understand the potential of these space-grown stem cells for developing improved blood disease and cancer treatments.
Rubio later joined NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg for vein scans using the Ultrasound 2 device in the Columbus laboratory module. The duo imaged their neck, shoulder, and knee areas looking for potential space-caused blood clots with real-time assistance from flight surgeons on the ground.
Hoburg earlier in the day assisted NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen as he swapped graphene aerogel samples for a space manufacturing study. The physics investigation seeks to produce a superior, uniform material structure benefitting power storage, environmental protection, and chemical sensing.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Andrey Fedyaev once again tried on a specialized suit on Thursday testing its ability to help them adapt to Earth’s gravity. The cosmonauts are evaluating the lower body negative pressure suit for its potential to redistribute fluids that have pooled in the upper body due to microgravity toward the lower body.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin tested piloting and robotic techniques that may be used on future planetary missions. He also worked throughout the day on Earth photography and science hardware maintenance.
The ISS Progress 83 cargo craft is due to end its six-month stay at the orbital lab on Sunday when it undocks from the Zvezda service module’s aft port at 7:48 p.m. EDT. It will be replaced on Thursday Aug. 24, when the ISS Progress 85 cargo craft docks to the same port on Zvezda two days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Just four hours after the Progress 85 arrives, four crew members aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center to the space station. The SpaceX Crew-7 mission will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port just one day after its liftoff and the four crew mates will enter the orbiting lab to begin a six-month space research mission.
The Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter is pictured in the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as ground controllers remotely install the cargo craft to the International Space Station’s Unity module.
Looking ahead, August is shaping up to be a busy month with crew and cargo missions. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will be delivering new science investigations—including studies of fire suppression, gene therapy, and atmospheric monitoring—as well as crew supplies and hardware to the station. This will mark the company’s 19th commercial resupply mission for NASA.
In addition to science deliveries, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission will make its way to the station in August as well. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andres Mogensen, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will launch to the station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, marking the seventh rotational mission of the company’s human space transportation system.
Following the arrival of Crew-7, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission will come to an end as four astronauts will undock from the station aboard Dragon and return to Earth.
August mission events will be broadcasted live on NASA TV. To stay up to date, visit the NASA TV schedule.
