NASA has confirmed that the next group of four astronauts lucky enough to travel aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is about to complete training for next month’s International Space Station (ISS) mission.
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada along with Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Anna Kikina of Roscosmos of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will be launched aboard SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Lift off central Florida. The mission’s first launch window will open on September 29, and it will be the fifth crew rotation mission — and sixth astronaut flight — for SpaceX’s manned space transportation system to the International Space Station Execute NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Notably, Kikina will be the first Russian to fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, as the country’s astronauts typically travel between Earth and the space station using their own Soyuz spacecraft.
Training for the upcoming mission takes place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, while training for the Crew Dragon to and from the space station takes place at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. In addition to mastering the space station systems, the four space travelers also received spacewalk training that will be used to upgrade the ISS or maintain existing equipment. A Russian course for three non-Russian crew members is also part of the training package, which also teaches robotics, the T-38 jet and science skills. Cassie Rodriquez, Johnson’s Crew-5 chief training officer, said in a comment posted on NASA’s website: “What we’re really focusing on is what they need to do their space station mission.” Rodriquez added , the crew also experienced skills that enabled them to develop “teamwork and expeditions; how to live and work with others in very stressful and dangerous situations. They demonstrated leadership, Resilience and focus. Committing to manned spaceflight to make the mission a success — that’s very inspiring.” SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is a reusable spacecraft, and Crew-5 astronauts will fly in 2021 The spacecraft that carried Crew-3 astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory to the International Space Station in November. After years of development and a wealth of useful data gathered from the successful flight of the unmanned cargo Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX launched the first astronauts into space on the Crew Dragon spacecraft in the summer of 2020. This set of images shows how the historic mission unfolded.
- Editor’s Choice
- How to watch the launch ahead of NASA’s biggest launch of the year
- Watch SpaceX test launch of its next-generation super heavy rocket
- SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth with spacesuit parts from ISS
How to watch SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon leave the ISS Friday
NASA gears up for Artemis moon launch later this month
)
