Author: Amanda Griffin

NASA and its industry partners Boeing and SpaceX are planning for the next set of missions to the International Space Station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew-8

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities. Routine maintenance and processing of the Crew-8 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is in work. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin, and the third for Barratt. Crew-8 is expected to return to Earth in late August 2024, following a short handover with the agency’s Crew-9 mission.

Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT)

The first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft, named NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), is planned for no earlier than mid-April. CFT will send NASA astronauts and test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system. Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, spend approximately eight days docked to the space station, and return to Earth with a parachute and airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States.

NASA will provide an updated status of CFT readiness as more information becomes available.

Crew-9

Looking further ahead in 2024, NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than mid-August for the launch of the agency’s Crew-9, SpaceX’s ninth crew rotation mission to the space station for NASA. A crew of four will be announced at a later date.

10th Crew Rotation Mission

The 10th commercial crew rotation opportunity to the space station is targeted for early 2025. NASA is planning for either SpaceX’s Crew-10 or Boeing’s Starliner-1 mission in this slot. The Starliner-1 date was adjusted to allow for the post-flight review of the Crew Flight Test and incorporation of anticipated learning, approvals of final certification products, and completion of readiness and certification reviews ahead of that mission.

For more insight on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program missions to the orbiting laboratory follow the commercial crew blog. More details can be found @commercial_crew on X and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket with Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard lifted off from Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 8:31 p.m. EDT. 

This is Northrop Grumman’s 19th contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. This Cygnus, dubbed the S.S. Laurel Clark, is scheduled to arrive at the space station on Friday, Aug. 4. 

Launch team is “go” to proceed with final count toward the five-minute launch window opening at 8:31 p.m. EDT. 

NASA commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is targeting today for the launch of its 19th contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. The five-minute launch window opens at 8:31 p.m. EDT. Live launch commentary has begun on NASA TV. 

A launch tonight would put Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft at the space station on Friday, Aug. 4. 

The countdown is underway for tonight’s launch of NASA commercial resupply provider Northrop Grumman‘s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft. Weather is now 90% favorable for the launch of this resupply mission to the International Space Station. 

Live coverage of the launch with commentary will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app beginning at 8 p.m. EDT. 

The five-minute launch window opens at 8:31 p.m. EDT, with liftoff taking place from Virginia Space Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. 

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will be open for this launch. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. EDT and be closed once the visitor center reaches capacity.

Backup viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The beach at the Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will NOT be open during the launch. 

The next resupply mission to the International Space Station from commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is preparing for launch during a window that opens Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 8:31 p.m. EDT at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. 

Loaded with more than 8,200 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A on Wallops Island. 

The Cygnus spacecraft for this launch is named in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer Laurel Clark. Selected by NASA in 1996, Dr. Clark flew as a mission specialist aboard Columbia STS-107. 

Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app beginning at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, with a prelaunch briefing Sunday, July 30 at 5 p.m. EDT. 

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will be open for this launch. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Atlantic beaches also provide good viewing locations. 

Members of the public outside of the viewing area can register to attend the launch virtually. Virtual guests will have access to curated resources, schedule changes, and mission specific information straight to your inbox. Following each activity, virtual guests are sent a mission-specific collectable stamp for their virtual guest passport. Hear more about the virtual guest program from the Crew-5 astronauts!

Follow launch activities on this launch blog and @NASA_Wallops. Learn more about space station activities by following @Space_Station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the Wallops Facebook, ISS Facebook, and ISS Instagram accounts. 

Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations. 

Research investigations and other cargo launching to the orbiting laboratory aboard this Cygnus include: 

• The final iteration of a series of spacecraft fire protection experiments
• A new potable water dispenser that provides hot water and improved sanitization
• Neural cells that will be cultured into 3D cell models for gene therapy testing
• A probe that measures plasma density of the upper atmosphere
• A memory card that contains creative works from students around the world

Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space.