SpaceX Crew-6
Names | USCV-6 |
---|---|
Mission type | ISS crew transport |
Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2023-027A |
SATCAT no. | 55740 |
Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Endeavour[1] |
Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Launch mass | 12,519 kg (27,600 lb) |
Landing mass | 9,616 kg (21,200 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 4 |
Members | |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 15 February 2023 (planned)[2] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 B1078.1 |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | SpaceX |
End of mission | |
Landing date | Fall 2023 (planned) |
Landing site | Atlantic Ocean |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Harmony zenith |
Undocking date | Q3 2023 (planned) |
Time docked | 180 days (planned) |
SpaceX Crew-6 is planned to be the sixth crewed operational NASA Commercial Crew flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the tenth overall crewed orbital flight. The mission is scheduled to launch on 15 February 2023. The Crew-6 mission will transport four crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). Two NASA astronauts, a United Arab Emirates astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut have been assigned to the mission. The two NASA astronauts are Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg.[3] The cosmonaut, Andrey Fedyaev, was reassigned from Soyuz MS-23. Sultan Al Neyadi will head the Emirates' mission on the flight.
Crew
On 24 March 2022 the European Space Agency announced that Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen will serve as backup pilot.[4] On 29 April 2022, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Axiom Space announced that Crew-6 will also include an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.[5]
MBRSC participation in this mission is a byproduct of a 2021 agreement between NASA and Axiom to fly a NASA astronaut, Mark T. Vande Hei, onboard Soyuz MS-18 (launch) and Soyuz MS-19 (return) in order to ensure a continuing American presence onboard the ISS. In return, Axiom received the rights to a NASA owned seat onboard SpaceX Crew-6. Axiom provided the flight opportunity to MBRSC professional crew member through an agreement with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency.[6] Later the astronaut was confirmed to be Sultan Al Neyadi.[7]
Andrey Fedyaev was selected in July 2022 for this mission as a part of the Soyuz-Dragon crew swap system of keeping at least one NASA astronaut and one Roscosmos cosmonaut on each of the crew rotation missions.[8] This ensures both countries have a presence on the station, and the ability to maintain their separate systems if either Soyuz or commercial crew vehicles are grounded for an extended period.[9]
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Spacecraft commander | Stephen Bowen, NASA Expedition 69 / 70 Fourth spaceflight | |
Pilot | Warren Hoburg, NASA Expedition 69 / 70 First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Sultan Al Neyadi, MBRSC Expedition 69 / 70 First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | Andrey Fedyaev, Roscosmos Expedition 69 / 70 First spaceflight |
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Spacecraft commander | Jasmin Moghbeli, NASA | |
Pilot | Andreas Mogensen, ESA | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Hazza Al Mansouri[10], MBRSC | |
Mission Specialist 2 | Konstantin Borisov[11], Roscosmos |
Mission
The sixth SpaceX operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program is scheduled to launch on 15 February 2023.[2]
References
- ^ Cawley, James (3 November 2022). "NASA Updates Commercial Crew Flight Manifest to Space Station". NASA. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
The Crew-6 mission will be Dragon Endeavour's fourth flight to the space station
- ^ a b "NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Launch". NASA. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Potter, Sean (16 December 2021). "Two Astronauts Receive Assignments for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission". NASA. Retrieved 17 December 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ @esaspaceflight (24 March 2022). "@YannickJungman3 @Astro_Andreas @Space_Station @SpaceX @esa @UFM_MIN @DTUtweet @AschbacherJosef Pilot for Crew-7, a…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Emirati astronaut set for six-month mission to International Space Station". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Axiom Space and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center Sign Agreement for UAE Astronaut to Fly on the ISS in 2023". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi to be first Arab astronaut to spend 6 months on ISS". 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Wattles, Jackie; Pavlova, Uliana (15 July 2022). "SpaceX rockets to fly Russian cosmonauts with new NASA deal". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
Andrei Fedyaev will fly on another SpaceX mission in the spring of 2023, according to NASA.
- ^ "Rogozin says Crew Dragon safe for Russian cosmonauts". SpaceNews. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "UAE's first astronaut to serve as backup on Sultan Al Neyadi's 6-month mission to ISS". Zawya. 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Medics find Russian cosmonauts fit for flying on Crew Dragon to ISS".