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Aug. 23 (UPI) — NASA’s Crew 7 mission is proceeding as planned and is currently counting down to a scheduled launch on Friday. This SpaceX crew rotation flight will transport four astronauts to the International Space Station, which is in orbit approximately 250 miles above Earth, according to the space agency.
On Tuesday, SpaceX successfully conducted a static test fire of the Falcon 9 rocket, clearing the way for the launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday.
The objective of the mission is to send the Crew Dragon Endurance capsule into orbit with the four astronauts on board. The docking with the space station is scheduled for early Saturday.
The weather conditions also appear favorable for an on-time launch, with the latest forecast predicting a low probability of rain or storms delaying liftoff from Launch Complex 39A. However, the 45th Weather Squadron of the Space Force’s primary concern is the presence of low-level cumulus clouds, but there is only a 15% risk of it affecting the departure time.
After liftoff, the first stage booster of the Falcon rocket will be detached and descend to land on SpaceX’s autonomous drone ship. The second-stage booster will separate shortly after, allowing the Dragon Endurance to enter orbit.
The Dragon is expected to dock with the space station approximately 32 hours later, with the hatch opening a few hours after that. The four astronauts, Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, Andreas Morgensen of the European Space Agency, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Konstantin Borisov of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, will spend six months aboard the space station, conducting various scientific experiments and maintenance tasks.
Jasmin Moghbeli, a Marine Corps test pilot and the mission commander, has an impressive background, having flown over 150 combat missions and holding a master’s degree in aerospace engineering.
Andreas Morgensen, a mission specialist from Denmark, possesses a doctorate in aerospace engineering and specializes in guidance, navigation, and spacecraft control during entry, descent, and landing.
Satoshi Furukawa, a former physician from Japan, has spent 165 days aboard the space station and is experienced in space research. He also has a doctorate in medicine.
Konstantin Borisov, the flight engineer for the mission, holds a master’s degree in program life support systems for aircraft. He was selected as a cosmonaut in 2018 and qualified for spaceflight assignments in 2020.
Upon reaching the space station, the Crew 7 astronauts will join the astronauts of Crew 6, who are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Dragon Endurance on September 1. The mission is expected to be highly productive, with various experiments and research being conducted during their stay.
The Crew 7 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday and are now preparing for pre-launch activities, including a flight readiness review and a Dragon test-firing.
The name “Dragon Endurance” for the capsule pays tribute to the teams at SpaceX and NASA who built the spacecraft and trained the astronauts. It is also a nod to explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship used in his 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
