SpaceX’s latest mission is underway with the launch of the Crew-7 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, is seen at Launch Complex 39A illuminated by the sunset.
Credits: Joel Kowsky / NASA
SpaceX successfully sent four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida as part of its 11th human spaceflight mission. This mission, known as Crew-7 and conducted in partnership with NASA, will have the crew staying on the ISS for six months. It marks SpaceX’s sixth operational crew launch for NASA and the first of several additional missions awarded to the company.
Crew-7 was launched in the early hours of Saturday morning from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, beginning a day-long journey to the ISS.
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With this mission, SpaceX has now launched a total of 42 astronauts, including government and private missions, since its first crewed launch in May 2020.
The Crew-7 team consists of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli as the commander, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen from Denmark as the pilot, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov as mission specialists.
Here, the crew members for the Crew-7 mission are seen waving before boarding the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. The crew is wearing SpaceX spacesuits.
Credits: Gregg Newton | AFP | Getty Images
SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon capsule named Endurance, atop a Falcon 9 rocket for this mission. Both the rocket and capsule are reusable, with Endurance participating in its third mission to date.
Under NASA’s Commercial Crew program, SpaceX is contracted for a total of 14 missions. The development of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the refinement of the Falcon 9 rocket were completed by SpaceX in collaboration with NASA, as part of a competition against Boeing’s Starliner capsule. However, Boeing’s capsule is still under development, experiencing costly delays that have significantly postponed the start of operational Starliner flights.
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