NASA and SpaceX mission to get Crew-6 onboard International Space Station (ISS)

NASA and SpaceX embarked today on a mission to get SpaceX Crew-6 engineers aboard the International Space Station (ISS), from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The earlier Feb. 27 launch attempt was scrubbed so that the mission teams could investigate a ground systems issue.

The crew consists of Steve Bowen Crew-6 Commander, Woody Hoburg, Crew-6 Pilot, Andrey Fedyaev, Crew-6 Mission Specialist from Russia, and Sultan Alneyadi, Crew-6 Mission Specialist from the UAE. The Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station was targeted for liftoff at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 UTC) on Thursday, March 2, 2023. The flight is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to station, and the seventh flight of the Dragon with people as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, were launched aboard their Dragon Endeavour spacecraft atop a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket.

This will be the fourth trip to space for Bowen, the Crew-6 mission commander, and the first space launch for the rest of the crew. They will spend approximately six months on the space station, helping us learn how to live in space, while conducting research to make life better back on Earth.

Incredible time ahead!

Ms. Kathy Lueders, Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate, NASA, said that everything needs to be done perfectly to ensure that we can have a smooth flight. The seventh mission is also doing a demo flight in Mar. 2023.

The next four to five months are going to be incredible for the International Space Station. It is a really busy port for a lot of vehicles coming up. We have another Space-X cargo mission coming up in Mar. 2023. We have first crewed flight test vehicle that will be coming up in Apr. 2023. We have more cargo vehicles in the next four to five months.

We dreamed that we will be having cargo vehicles and crew vehicles. This is where we can maximize the use of science that's created on the International Space Station. It is also going into its 22nd year. We are also preparing for our continued presence in low-earth orbit (LEO). We are also preparing for the next 10 years. We have a lot of work to do on the International Space Station. We are also looking forward to the long-duration flight like the Mission to Mars.

The mission

This marks the sixth time a rotational crew will fly on a spacecraft. The crew has been training with SpaceX for the last several months. Every crew member brings a vast array of experience. This was Bowen's fourth trip to space. He has spent 47 hours and 18 minutes during seven spacewalks.

This is going to be Hoburg's first space flight. Similarly, for Alneyadi, it is his first space trip. He became the first UAE resident ever to fly on a commercial spacecraft. It is also the first mission to space for Fedyaev. The crew was now onboard the Dragon capsule. At the Kennedy Space Center, the conditions were cleared for the launch.

The Falcon-9 propellant loading begun at T-35 minutes. One is an oxidizer at the top of each stage. The other fuel is loaded into a tank at the bottom of each stage. The oxidizer loaded on each stage is densified liquid oxygen or locks.

The mission specialists were busy preparing for the launch of the shuttle. Terminal count was in progress at T-9 minutes. Engine chill had now started. The engines were now preparing for lift-off. Solar panels were meant for providing the necessary power. At T-7 minutes, the mission entered the engine chill stage. The spacecraft clam arms started to open and get out of the way.

Lift-off!

Lift-off happened exactly on schedule. Space-X shuttle was going at full speed. We were past MaxQ or maximum dynamic pressure. The velocity of a rocket during a launch is constantly increasing with altitude gain. The dynamic pressure on a rocket during launch is initially zero as the velocity is zero. Dynamic pressure increases because of the increasing velocity to some maximum value, or Max Q. The shuttle was passing over various ground stations. This was followed by the entry burn for the first stage.

The second stage was now entered, and we were getting images from the second stage. The Falcon-9 rocket had done its job, with the space crew now in orbit. Separation was imminent, and happened, as planned. Falcon-9 had delivered Crew-6 into orbit. The nose cone was deployed on the Dragon. Crew-6 was now on its way to the International Space Station, which will take about 24 and a half hours.

The Crew-6 astronauts have a strong bond for this mission. They also gave thank you speeches from mid-air or space. A fifth crew member, Suhail, was introduced by the UAE astronaut. It is an Arabic name for the star Cannabis. Suhail was 'in a spacesuit with high ambition'!

Post docking and mission overview

After several maneuvers to gradually raise its orbit, Endeavour will be in position to rendezvous and dock with its new home in orbit. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew can take control and pilot manually, if necessary.

After docking, Crew-6 will be welcomed inside the station by the seven-member crew of Expedition 68. The astronauts of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission will undock from the space station and splash down off the coast of Florida several days after Crew-6's arrival.

The Crew-6 will conduct new and exciting scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low-earth orbit and benefit life on Earth. Experiments will include studies of how particular materials burn in microgravity, tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions, and an investigation that will collect microbial samples from the outside of the space station. These are just some of the more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations that will take place during their mission.  

During their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-6 will see the arrival of cargo spacecraft, including the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress. Crew-6 also is expected to welcome the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts and the Axiom Mission-2 crew during their expedition.

At the conclusion of the mission, Dragon Endeavour will autonomously undock with the four crew members aboard, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. After splashdown just off Florida’s coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the crew, who will be helicoptered back to shore.