Components for the Next Three SLS Vehicles Will Soon Be on Their Way to Cape Canaveral...

Brandon Hancock

Rocket Hardware for Future Artemis Flights Moved to Barge for Delivery to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (News Release - August 30)

NASA is making strides with the Artemis campaign as key components for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket continue to make their way to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams with NASA and Boeing loaded the core stage boat-tail for Artemis III and the core stage engine section for Artemis IV onto the agency’s Pegasus barge at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on August 28.

The core stage hardware joins the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II, which was moved onto the barge at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on August 21. Pegasus will ferry the multi-mission rocket hardware more than 900 miles to the Space Coast of Florida. Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will prepare the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II stacking operations inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, while the core stage hardware will be moved to Kennedy’s Space Systems Processing Facility for outfitting.

Beginning with Artemis III, core stages will undergo final assembly at Kennedy.

The launch vehicle stage adapter is essential for connecting the rocket’s core stage to the upper stage. It also shields sensitive avionics and electrical components in the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage from the intense vibrations and noise of launch.

The boat-tail and engine section are crucial for the rocket’s functionality. The boat-tail extends from the engine section, fitting snugly to protect the rocket’s engines during launch. The engine section itself houses more than 500 sensors, 18 miles of cables, and key systems for fuel management and engine control, all packed into the bottom of the towering 212-foot core stage.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Steven B. Seipel


Steven B. Seipel

On This Day in 1984: Discovery Heads into Space for the Very First Time...

NASA

It was 40 years ago this morning that the third orbiter in NASA's space shuttle fleet, Discovery, launched for the very first time on mission STS-41-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. STS-41-D was on orbit for up to seven days—placing three communications satellites in low-Earth orbit before deploying an experimental solar array that would be a precursor to the large solar wings used by the International Space Station (ISS) today.

And it was 15 years ago back in February that I visited KSC to personally see Discovery poised for flight at Launch Complex 39A! Discovery embarked on her tenth ISS-bound mission, STS-119, on March 15, 2009...a little over a month after my very first trip to Cape Canaveral.

Another Successful Flight of New Shepard This Morning...

Blue Origin

Blue Origin Completes 26th Mission to Space with Six Crew Onboard (News Release)

Today, Blue Origin successfully completed its eighth human spaceflight and the 26th flight for the New Shepard program. Our astronaut crew included: Nicolina Elrick, Rob Ferl, Eugene Grin, Dr. Eiman Jahangir, Karsen Kitchen and Ephraim Rabin. Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 43 people into space.

Karsen Kitchen made history as the youngest woman ever to cross the Kármán line. Rob Ferl became the first NASA-funded researcher to conduct an experiment as part of a commercial suborbital space crew.

If you’re interested in flying on New Shepard as an astronaut or flying a payload on a future mission, visit BlueOrigin.com.

Source: Blue Origin

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Liftoff of #NS26 pic.twitter.com/tZCc2XYm2b

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) August 29, 2024

We just completed our eighth human spaceflight and the 26th flight for the New Shepard program. Our #NS26 crew included: Nicolina Elrick, Rob Ferl, Eugene Grin, Dr. Eiman Jahangir, Karsen Kitchen, and Ephraim Rabin. Thank you, astronauts!

Learn more: https://t.co/pDVVGzNUc2 pic.twitter.com/ezlOy9OBo7

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) August 29, 2024

Key stats from today’s mission:

The Crew Capsule reached an apogee of 342,314 ft AGL / 345,961 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

The booster reached an apogee of 341,985 ft AGL / 345,632 ft MSL (104 km AGL / 105 km MSL)

Official launch time was 8:07:03 AM CDT / 13:07:03 UTC.…

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) August 29, 2024

A Former Navy SEAL and Harvard Medical Doctor Is Ready for His First Flight to Space...

NASA

NASA Assigns Astronaut Jonny Kim to First Space Station Mission (News Release)

During his first mission to the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will serve as a flight engineer and member of the upcoming Expedition 72/73 crew.

Kim will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March 2025, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. The trio will spend approximately eight months at the space station.

While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions and provide benefits to people on Earth.

NASA selected Kim as an astronaut in 2017. After completing the initial astronaut candidate training, Kim supported mission and crew operations in various roles including the Expedition 65 lead operations officer, T-38 operations liaison, and space station capcom chief engineer.

A native of Los Angeles, Kim is a United States Navy lieutenant commander and dual designated naval aviator and flight surgeon. Kim also served as an enlisted Navy SEAL. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of San Diego and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and completed his internship with the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

For more than two decades, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low-Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

KSC Is Prepping for the Storage of Additional Artemis Boosters Inside the VAB...

NASA

NASA, Boeing Optimizing Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay for Future SLS Stage Production (News Release)

NASA is preparing space at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for upcoming assembly activities of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis III.

Teams are currently outfitting the assembly building’s High Bay 2 for future vertical assembly of the rocket stage that will help power NASA’s Artemis campaign to the Moon. During Apollo, High Bay 2, one of four high bays inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, was used to stack the Saturn V rocket. During the Space Shuttle Program, the high bay was used for external tank checkout and storage and as a contingency storage area for the shuttle.

Michigan-based Futuramic is constructing the tooling that will hold the core stage in a vertical position, allowing NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, to integrate the SLS rocket’s engine section and four RS-25 engines to finish assembly of the rocket stage. Vertical integration will streamline final production efforts, offering technicians 360-degree access to the stage both internally and externally.

“The High Bay 2 area at NASA Kennedy is critical for work as SLS transitions from a developmental to operational model,” said Chad Bryant, deputy manager of the SLS Stages Office. “While teams are stacking and preparing the SLS rocket for launch of one Artemis mission, the SLS core stage for another Artemis mission will be taking shape just across the aisleway.”

Under the new assembly model beginning with Artemis III, all the major structures for the SLS core stage will continue to be fully produced and manufactured at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Upon completion of manufacturing and thermal protection system application, the engine section will be shipped to NASA Kennedy for final outfitting. Later, the top sections of the core stage – the forward skirt, intertank, liquid oxygen tank and liquid hydrogen tank – will be outfitted and joined at NASA Michoud and shipped to NASA Kennedy for final assembly.

The fully-assembled core stage for Artemis II arrived at Kennedy on July 23. NASA’s Pegasus barge delivered the SLS engine section for Artemis III to Kennedy in December 2022. Teams at NASA Michoud are outfitting the remaining core stage elements and preparing to horizontally join them.

The four RS-25 engines for the Artemis III mission are complete at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and will be transported to NASA Kennedy in 2025. Major core stage and Exploration Upper Stage structures are in work at NASA Michoud for Artemis IV and beyond.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Isaac Watson

SpaceX Will Now Bring Boeing's Crew Flight Test Astronauts Home Due to Calypso's Design Flaws...

NASA

NASA Decides to Bring Starliner Spacecraft Back to Earth Without Crew (News Release)

NASA will return Boeing’s Starliner to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the spacecraft, the agency announced Saturday. The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not accepting more risk than necessary for its crew.

Wilmore and Williams, who flew to the International Space Station in June aboard NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, have been busy supporting station research, maintenance, and Starliner system testing and data analysis, among other activities.

“Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.”

Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September.

NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft's reaction control thrusters on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. Since then, engineering teams have completed a significant amount of work, including reviewing a collection of data, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans. The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission.

“Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “We’ve learned a lot about the spacecraft during its journey to the station and its docked operations. We also will continue to gather more data about Starliner during the uncrewed return and improve the system for future flights to the space station.”

Starliner is designed to operate autonomously and previously completed two uncrewed flights. NASA and Boeing will work together to adjust end-of-mission planning and Starliner’s systems to set up for the uncrewed return in the coming weeks. Starliner must return to Earth before the Crew-9 mission launches to ensure a docking port is available on station.

“Starliner is a very capable spacecraft and, ultimately, this comes down to needing a higher level of certainty to perform a crewed return,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “The NASA and Boeing teams have completed a tremendous amount of testing and analysis, and this flight test is providing critical information on Starliner’s performance in space. Our efforts will help prepare for the uncrewed return and will greatly benefit future corrective actions for the spacecraft.”

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires spacecraft fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the space station. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data to inform what additional actions are required to meet NASA’s certification requirements.

The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally slated with four crew members, will launch no earlier than Tuesday, September 24. The agency will share more information about the Crew-9 complement when details are finalized.

NASA and SpaceX are currently working several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. In addition, NASA and SpaceX will now use new facilities at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to launch Crew-9, which provides increased operational flexibility around NASA’s planned Europa Clipper launch.

The Crew-9 mission will be the ninth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which works with the American aerospace industry to meet the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Matthew Dominick

The Service Module for the Third Moon-bound Orion Spacecraft Will Soon Be Transported to Florida...

Airbus Space

Europe Delivers for Artemis III (News Release)

The European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis III mission to the Moon is soon on its way to the United States.

ESA is delivering its third European Service Module to NASA as part of its key contributions to humankind’s return to the Moon.

The service module has left the integration halls of Airbus Space in Bremen, Germany, and will now sail to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the United States.

Built in Italy, assembled in Germany, and with contributions from all over Europe, the module’s journey across the Atlantic Ocean will take 12 days on board the Canopée, the same ship that transported Ariane 6 to Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its inaugural flight.

ESA’s European Service Module

The European Service Module propels NASA’s Orion crew vehicle in space during Artemis missions and provides astronauts with essential resources including electricity, water, temperature control and air.

ESA has already provided two European Service Modules for NASA: the first was used during the successful Artemis I uncrewed mission, and the second is currently at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for testing in the lead up to the Artemis II mission scheduled for next year.

Now, the third European Service Module is on its way to join the second ahead of its own mission.

The Road So Far

The third European Service Module began its journey in the manufacturing halls of Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, where engineers built its chassis-like structure.

This backbone supports all components of the module including: 11 km of wiring, 33 engines, four tanks with 2000 litres of propellant each, tanks with enough water and air for the crew during their mission and four seven-metre solar arrays providing enough electricity for two households.

From October 2020, the module and its components arrived at Airbus Space in Bremen, Germany, for assembly. The parts came from over 20 companies across more than 10 European countries, a testament to the cooperative effort behind this project.

Earlier this year, teams installed the third European Service Module’s main engine. This engine already has nine missions under its belt, powering the Space Shuttle orbiters Challenger, Columbia and Endeavour.

The module will soon leave Europe on its way to the United States.

Next Steps

Once the European Service Module arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, engineers will connect it to the Crew Module Adapter and later to the Crew Module itself, with plenty of testing before, in between and after to get the spacecraft ready ahead of the Artemis III mission.

Source: European Space Agency

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Airbus Space


European Space Agency

Bye-bye ESM-3! 🚀
The Airbus-built ESM-3, that will bring boots back on the Moon 🌑, left the Airbus facilities in Bremen to head to its launch site in Cape Canaveral.
The European Service Module (ESM) will travel aboard the ship Canopée 🚢 and arrive in Florida in early… pic.twitter.com/jvsrFvhIPR

— Airbus Space (@AirbusSpace) August 22, 2024

The Last Piece of Hardware for the Second SLS Flight Will Soon Be Transported to Florida...

Sam Lott / NASA

NASA Invites Media to Watch Artemis II Rocket Adapter Roll Out (News Release)

To mark progress towards the first crewed flight test around the Moon in more than 50 years for the benefit of humanity, NASA will welcome media on Wednesday, August 21, to see a key adapter for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II mission around the Moon. The event includes seeing the adapter on the move as it prepares for shipment to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Media will have the opportunity to capture images and video and speak to subject matter experts as crews move the adapter out of NASA Marshall’s Building 4708 to the agency’s Pegasus barge. The barge will ferry the adapter first to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where it will pick up additional SLS hardware for future Artemis missions, and then travel to NASA Kennedy. In Florida, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems will prepare the adapter for stacking and launch.

This event is open to U.S. media, who must RSVP by 5 p.m. CDT on Monday, August 19, to Jonathan Deal at jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov. Additional details about timing and other details for the event are forthcoming to registered media.

Manufactured by prime contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA contract using NASA Marshall’s self-reacting friction-stir robotic and vertical weld tools, the launch vehicle stage adapter is the largest SLS component for Artemis II that is made at the center.

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. The rocket is part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

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SpaceX Will Launch Commercial Astronauts on a Unique Trajectory Around the Earth...

SpaceX

First Human Spaceflight to Fly Over Earth’s Polar Regions (News Release)

In the past four years, SpaceX has launched thirteen human spaceflight missions, safely flying 50 crewmembers to and from Earth’s orbit and creating new opportunities for humanity to live, work and explore what is possible in space. Dragon’s 46 missions overall to orbit have delivered critical supplies, scientific research and astronauts to the International Space Station, while also opening the door for commercial astronauts to explore Earth’s orbit.

As early as this year, Falcon 9 will launch Dragon’s sixth commercial astronaut mission, Fram2, which will be the first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over the Earth’s polar regions for the first time. Named in honor of the ship that helped explorers first reach Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, Fram2 will be commanded by Chun Wang, an entrepreneur and adventurer from Malta. Wang aims to use the mission to highlight the crew’s explorational spirit, bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the larger public, and highlight how technology can help push the boundaries of exploration of Earth and through the mission’s research.

Joining Wang on the mission is a crew of international adventurers: Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle commander; Australia’s Eric Philips, vehicle pilot; and Germany’s Rabea Rogge, mission specialist. This will be the first spaceflight for each of the crewmembers.

Throughout the 3-to-5-day mission, the crew plans to observe Earth’s polar regions through Dragon’s cupola at an altitude of 425 – 450 km, leveraging insight from space physicists and citizen scientists to study unusual light emissions resembling auroras. The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400 - 500 km above Earth’s atmosphere. The crew will also work with SpaceX to conduct a variety of research to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, which includes capturing the first human x-ray images in space, Just-in-Time training tools, and studying the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health, all of which will help in the development of tools needed to prepare humanity for future long-duration spaceflight.

Falcon 9 will launch Fram2 to a polar orbit from Florida no earlier than late 2024.

Source: SpaceX

Preps Continue at KSC for the First Crewed Launch of the SLS Rocket...

NASA / Isaac Watson

NASA Teams Change Brakes to Keep Artemis Crew Safe (News Release)

Recently, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center met with engineering teams at a central Florida amusement park to share knowledge on a new braking system that NASA is using for its launch pad emergency egress system for Artemis missions.

“We have a new magnetic braking system for the Artemis emergency egress system and NASA hasn’t used this technology on the ground infrastructure side before to support launches,” said Jesse Berdis, mobile launcher 1 deputy project manager for EGS. “I realized we have neighbors 50 miles from us in Orlando that are essentially the world experts on magnetic braking systems.”

For Artemis, teams will use a track cable that connects the mobile launcher to the terminus site near the perimeter of NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B, where four baskets, similar to gondola lifts, can ride down. This is where the magnetic braking system operates to help control the acceleration of the baskets in multiple weight and environmental conditions. At the pad terminus site, armored emergency response vehicles are stationed to take personnel safely away from the launch pad to a designated safe site at Kennedy.

Many roller coaster manufacturers employ the use of an “eddy current braking system,” which involves using magnetics to help slow down a vehicle. Though the applications used on the roller coasters differ slightly from what the EGS teams are using for Artemis, the concept is the same, explained Amanda Arrieta, mobile launcher 1 senior element engineer.

However, unlike roller coasters which are typically in use daily for multiple hours on end, the Artemis emergency egress system is there for emergency situations only.

“We don’t plan to ever run our system unless we’re testing it or performing maintenance,” Berdis said.

Regardless of this, teams at Kennedy have ensured that the system is able to function for years to come to support future Artemis missions.

“The maintenance crews [at the amusement park] were awesome because they showed us their nightly, monthly and yearly inspections on what they were doing,” Berdis said. “That gave our operations teams a really good foundation and baseline knowledge of what to expect when they maintain and operate this system for the Artemis missions.”

Some of the conversations and suggestions that teams shared include adding an acceleration sensor in the emergency egress baskets during testing. The sensor will help detect how fast the baskets are going when they ride down.

The emergency egress system is one of several new additions that the EGS team is implementing to prepare for future crewed missions starting with Artemis II, and this system especially emphasizes the importance of safety.

“We have a mission, and a part of that mission is in case of an emergency, which we don’t expect, is to protect our astronauts and supporting teams at the launch pad,” Berdis said. “We want our teams to be safe and, for any scenario we put them in, especially on the ground infrastructure side, it’s important for us to do our due diligence. That includes talking to other groups that are the experts in their field to ensure we have looked at all possibilities across the board to ensure our mission is a safe one for our teams.”

During the Space Shuttle Program, teams used a similar system for the escape route that astronauts and other personnel take in the event of an emergency during a launch countdown. However, instead of using a magnetic braking system for the baskets, teams used a mechanical braking system, which involved using a catch net and drag chain to slow and then halt the baskets sliding down the wire.

For the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX also uses a catch net and drag chain for its slidewire cable at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A pad and a deployable chute at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Boeing and United Launch Alliance also use a slidewire, but instead of baskets, the team deploys seats, like riding down a zip line, that ride down the slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Looking Ahead to Crew Dragon's Tenth Government Flight to the ISS...

NASA

NASA Shares its SpaceX Crew-10 Assignments for Space Station Mission (News Release)

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, four crew members are preparing to launch for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov will join astronauts at the orbiting laboratory no earlier than February of 2025.

The flight is the 10th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. While aboard, the international crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions and benefit people on Earth.

Selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2013, this will be McClain’s second spaceflight. A colonel in the U.S. Army, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and holds master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering, International Security and Strategic Studies.

McClain was an instructor pilot in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. The Spokane, Washington, native has more than 2,300 flight hours in 24 rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including more than 800 in combat, and was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Rugby Team.

On her first spaceflight, McClain spent 204 days as a flight engineer during Expeditions 58 and 59 and was the lead on two spacewalks, totaling 13 hours and 8 minutes. Since then, she has served in various roles, including branch chief and space station assistant to the chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office.

Ayers is a major in the U.S. Air Force and the first member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class named to a crew. The Colorado native graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a minor in Russian, where she was a member of the academy’s varsity volleyball team.

Ayers later earned a master’s in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University in Houston. She served as an instructor pilot and mission commander in the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor, leading multinational and multiservice missions worldwide.

Ayers has more than 1,400 total flight hours, including more than 200 in combat.

With 113 days in space, this mission will also mark Onishi’s second trip to the space station. After being selected by JAXA in 2009, he flew as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49 and became the first Japanese astronaut to robotically capture the Cygnus spacecraft.

Onishi also constructed a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, the station’s Japanese experiment module. Since his spaceflight, Onishi became certified as a JAXA flight director, leading the team responsible for operating Kibo from JAXA Mission Control in Tsukuba, Japan.

Onishi holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo and was a pilot for All Nippon Airways, flying more than 3,700 flight hours in the Boeing 767.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission will also be Peskov’s first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned a degree in Engineering from the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation School and was a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for airlines Nordwind and Ikar.

Assigned as a test-cosmonaut in 2020, Peskov has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving and wilderness survival.

For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit.

As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low-Earth orbit economy, NASA’s Artemis campaign is underway at the Moon, where the agency is preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov