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The latest team of astronauts preparing for liftoff onboard the NASA SpaceX Crew-7 mission have landed at the Kennedy Space Center, as they commence the final stage of quarantine before their voyage to the International Space Station (ISS). The countdown has officially commenced, with an array of activities and events unfolding throughout the launch week.
By: TJ Waller
The eagerly anticipated NASA SpaceX Crew-7 mission has been pushed once again and is now scheduled to take flight on a new launch date of August 25, 2023; with an instantaneous launch window of 3:49 AM EDT. This mission will mark a significant milestone in the partnership between NASA and SpaceX as they continue their collaboration in transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Crew-7 is a true testament to international cooperation, with astronauts representing four different space agencies. The mission will be commanded by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, while European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen will serve as the pilot. Joining them as mission specialists are Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Konstantin Borisov from the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
After a couple of short delays, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 last night from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lofting Starlink 6-8 — twenty-two second-generation Starlink satellites to orbit. The launch was picture-perfect, with the rocket clearly visible for several minutes after liftoff and even well past staging. Thunderstorms well off to the north and east-southeast added to the light show, with dozens of lightning strokes clearly visible but far away enough not to violate any range safety rules.
(Cape Canaveral Florida) SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying Intelsat’s Galaxy 37 communications satellite at 1:00 am EDT on August 3, 2023, after short delays due to weather in the area. Liftoff was scheduled initially for 12:15 am, but small rain showers on or near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s SLC-40 violated launch criteria, leading to two changes in the planned T-0 time.
(Kennedy Space Center) NASA and SpaceX announced today that they are targeting Monday, August 21 at 5:23 am EDT to launch the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. The launch was initially scheduled for late July but was shifted to no earlier than August 17 in order to allow for additional launch pad processing at SpaceX’s LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.
