NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Astronauts to Embark on Six-Month Science Expedition, Supporting an Array of R&D on the Space Station
A new six-month science expedition in low Earth orbit (LEO) begins when four astronauts launch to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. While onboard the space station, the Crew-7 astronauts, who will be part of Expeditions 69 and 70, will perform a variety of investigations sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory. This 7th rotational crewed mission from SpaceX, which is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than August 25, 2023, at 3:49 a.m. EDT.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (commander) joins European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen (pilot), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa (mission specialist), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (mission specialist) onboard SpaceX’s “Endurance” spacecraft.
In the coming months, a variety of visiting vehicles will launch to the space station. These vehicles will bring critical cargo and research for the crew to perform, including ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations in the areas of life and physical sciences, in-space production applications, advanced materials, and technology development. These endeavors will bring value to humanity through space-based inquiry, further our ability to explore, and enable a robust LEO market. Below are a few of the ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations that will be supported by the Crew-7 astronauts during their mission: