(AGENPARL) – sab 26 agosto 2023 August 26, 2023 
RELEASE 23-094
*NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Launches to International Space Station*
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7
*/Credits: NASA/*
An international crew of four representing four countries is in orbit
following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m.
EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. The agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh
commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft into orbit 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, for a science
expedition aboard the orbital laboratory.
“Crew-7 is a shining example of the power of both American ingenuity and
what we can accomplish when we work together,” said NASA Administrator Bill
Nelson. “Aboard station, the crew will conduct more than 200 science
experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for missions to the
Moon, Mars, and beyond, all while benefitting humanity on Earth. By
partnering with countries around the world, NASA is engaging the best
scientific minds to enable our bold missions, and it’s clear that we can do
more – and we can learn more – when we work together.”
During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic
spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne,
California, and NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout
the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space
Center in Houston.
Named Endurance, the Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the
space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 8:39 a.m. Sunday, Aug.
27. NASA Television, the NASA app [1], and the agency’s website [2] will
provide live coverage of docking and hatch opening. NASA also will cover the
welcome remarks by crew aboard the orbital outpost at 11:30 a.m.
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 until Crew-6 members
Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev return to Earth a few days later.
Crew-7 will conduct new scientific research [3] to benefit humanity on Earth
and prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Experiments include
the collection of microbial samples [4] from the exterior of the space
station, the first study of human response to different spaceflight durations
[5], and an investigation of the physiological aspects of astronauts’ sleep
[6]. These are just some of the science experiments and technology [7]
demonstrations that will take place during their mission.
“The International Space Station is an incredible science and technology
platform that requires people from all around the world to maintain and
maximize its benefits to people on Earth,” said Ken Bowersox, associate
administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in
Washington. “It’s great seeing Crew-7 launch with four crew members
representing four countries who will live and work on humanity’s home in
space as we continue the nearly 23 years of a continuous human presence
aboard the microgravity laboratory.”
The Crew-7 mission enables NASA to maximize use of the space station, where
astronauts testing technologies, performing science, and developing the
skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit
and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted aboard the space station
provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future
long-duration trips to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis missions.
*Meet Crew-7*
This is Moghbeli’s first trip into space since her selection as a NASA
astronaut in 2017. The New York native earned a bachelor’s degree in
aerospace engineering with information technology at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Cambridge, and a Master of Science in aerospace
engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Moghbeli, a helicopter and Marine Corps test pilot, has more than 150 combat
missions and 2,000 hours of flight time in over 25 different aircraft. She
also is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River,
Maryland. As mission commander, she is responsible for all phases of flight,
from launch to re-entry. She will serve as an Expedition 69/70 flight
engineer aboard the station. Follow @astrojaws [8] on X.
Mogensen was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and became the first Danish
citizen in space after launching aboard a Soyuz for a 10-day mission to the
space station in 2015. Mogensen is from Copenhagen, Denmark. He completed
undergraduate studies and received a master’s degree in aeronautical
engineering from Imperial College London in England before gaining his
doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mogensen has since served as a crew member for NASA Extreme Environment
Mission Operations undersea missions 17 and 19. Mogensen was the European
astronaut liaison officer at NASA Johnson from 2016 to 2022, working as a
capsule communicator for astronauts aboard the station and as ground support
for spacewalks. As the pilot on Crew-7, he is responsible for spacecraft
systems and performance aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 69
flight engineer and Expedition 70 commander. Follow @astro_andreas [9] on X.
Furukawa is making his second trip to space, having spent 165 days aboard the
space station as part of Expeditions 28 and 29 in 2011. Furukawa is from
Kanagawa, Japan, and was selected as a JAXA astronaut in 1999. He is a
physician and received his medical degree from the University of Tokyo, and
later a doctorate in medical science from the same university. Furukawa
served as a crew member on the 13th NEEMO mission, and later, was appointed
head of JAXA’s Space Biomedical Research Group. Aboard the station, he will
become a flight engineer for Expedition 69/70. Follow @astro_satoshi [10] on
Borisov is making his first trip to space and will serve as a mission
specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and
entry phases of flight. He entered the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps as a test
cosmonaut candidate in 2018 and will serve as a flight engineer for
Expedition 69/70.
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission and Commercial Crew Program
*https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew* [11]
-end-
*Press Contacts*
Josh Finch / Lora Bleacher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
Steven Siceloff / Heather Scott
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
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[1] https://www.nasa.gov/connect/apps.html
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/live
[3] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
[4] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7715
[5] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8413
[6] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8866
[7] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html
[11] https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew