NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Launches to Space Station
On March 2, 2023, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. The international crew, which includes NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, the United Arab Emirates Sultan Al-Neyadi and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, is the agency’s sixth commercial crew rotation mission with SpaceX aboard the orbital laboratory. Following the launch, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson declared in a statement, “Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for another history-making mission to the International Space Station. Crew-6 will be busy aboard the International Space Station, conducting over 200 experiments that will help us to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, as well as improve life here on Earth.”
The mission was originally scheduled to launch on February 27, but was scrubbed due to a ground systems issue.[0] The problem was traced to a clogged filter in the ground systems that support the rocket up until the moment of launch, which prevented the proper amount of TEA-TEB, a fluid used to ignite the rocket's Merlin 1D engines, from reaching the first stage of the vehicle.[1] After the filter was replaced, the launch was rescheduled for Thursday, and the picture perfect liftoff came off without a hitch.[2]
The Crew 6 team was led by mission commander Stephen Bowen, 59, a former US Navy submarine officer who has logged more than 40 days in orbit as a veteran of three Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks.[3] Also included in the crew was UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi, 41, the second person from his country to fly to space and the first to launch from US soil as part of a long-duration space station team.[4] Russian cosmonaut Fedyaev joined the Crew-6 team as part of a ride-sharing agreement inked in 2022 between NASA and Roscosmos.
The Crew Dragon, with the astronauts on board, separated from the rocket after reaching orbit and is anticipated to take approximately 24 hours to move through space before it docks with the International Space Station.[5] The capsule is expected to arrive and dock at 1:17 a.[6] Friday[5] It is anticipated that the seven individuals on the mission will conclude their time on the space station and leave this month.[7]
0. “Space. The eventual frontier. This is the delayed journey of Crew-6 astronauts en route to the ISS” The Register, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/03/crew6_astronauts_liftoff
1. “After flying four astronauts into orbit, SpaceX makes its 101st straight landing” Ars Technica, 2 Mar. 2023, https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/on-its-second-attempt-the-crew-6-mission-soared-into-orbit-early-thursday/
2. “NASA clears SpaceX Crew Dragon fliers for delayed launch to space station” CBS News, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-spacex-crew-dragon-delayed-launch-to-space-station
3. “Navy astronaut leads NASA's next space mission” Military Times, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/03/02/navy-astronaut-leads-nasas-next-space-mission
4. “SpaceX launches international crew to orbit ISS for NASA” The Jerusalem Post, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.jpost.com/international/article-733146
5. “SpaceX astronaut capsule docks at space station” CNN, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/world/spacex-nasa-crew-6-docking-scn/index.html
6. “SpaceX launches to International Space Station with Cohasset astronaut commanding crew” Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://whdh.com/news/spacex-launches-to-international-space-station-with-cohasset-astronaut-commanding-crew
7. “SpaceX crew docks at International Space Station” Al Jazeera English, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/3/spacex-crew-docks-with-international-space-station
