SpaceX prepares to launch NASA astronauts, private spacewalk mission in August
SpaceX plans to launch NASA's Crew-9 mission on Aug. 18 and later in the month launch the four-person Polaris Dawn mission from Florida. Two NASA astronauts are still waiting on their return to Earth date as teams troubleshoot issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft at the space station.
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After a brief hiatus, SpaceX returned to launching its Falcon 9 rockets last week and plans to launch the Crew-9 astronaut mission for NASA, plus the first private spacewalk mission in August.
The Falcon 9 rocket returned to flight on July 27 after a mishap investigation following the failed July 11 mission to deploy SpaceX Starlink satellites.
With the return to launch a success, SpaceX is now targeting two astronaut launches in the coming weeks.
First, NASA and SpaceX have scheduled a launch on Aug. 18 to take three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station. The four-person crew will launch on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center's launchpad 39A in Florida.
Official NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 portraits with Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, Stephanie Wilson and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
(NASA)
Crew-9 will mark SpaceX's ninth long-duration human spaceflight mission under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague and Stephanie Wilson will be joined by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov for the six-month mission to the orbiting laboratory.
The spaceflight marks Hague's third launch but only the second visit to the ISS after a dramatic launch abort following a Russian Soyuz launch in 2018. The spacecraft launched, but the Soyuz rocket failed about 30 miles above Earth, prompting a mission abort and a landing back on Earth. Hague was launched successfully to the ISS in 2019.
SpaceX is targeting late August to launch the private Polaris Dawn mission from Kennedy Space Center. The mission was scheduled for July 31, but SpaceX opted to prioritize the Crew-9 flight.
Funded by American businessman Jared Isaacman, the Polaris Dawn mission includes Scott Poteet and SpaceX employees Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. The mission is expected to launch on a modified SpaceX Crew Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than late August.
"SpaceX has done an incredible job keeping us informed of the issue, investigation, resolution, and return to flight plan," Isaacman said of SpaceX's return to flight over the weekend. "I’ve said it before, but I have never encountered such a collection of talent working on world-changing endeavors. It is beyond inspiring."
Anna Menon during Polaris Dawn EVA spacesuit acceptance testing at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
(Polaris Program / John Kraus)
The crew will attempt the first commercial spacewalk at an orbit about 430 miles above Earth. Isaacman and Gillis will exit the Dragon spacecraft while Menon and Poteet remain inside the capsule. With the airlock open, all four crew members must wear pressurized spacesuits because they will all be exposed to the vacuum of space. Isaacman said the spacewalk will last an estimated 2 hours. To accommodate these mission goals, SpaceX teams developed a new EVA suit.
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In the meantime, NASA and Boeing are working on final testing of the Boeing Starliner capsule docked at the International Space Station to determine when it can bring home NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
Starliner arrived at the ISS on June 6 for the Crew Flight Test of the new spacecraft.
Engineers continued to troubleshoot issues with the spacecraft's thrusters and helium leaks.
The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
(NASA)
"Teams are reviewing data from the docked hot fire test and the recent ground testing of a Starliner thruster at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico before holding an agency return readiness review," the space agency wrote in a blog post. "Following this agency-level review, NASA and Boeing will select a target return date."
The test flight was originally slated to last about eight days. Starliner and its two astronauts have been on the ISS for more than 50 days, and there is no return date yet.