NASA and SpaceX have announced that they are targeting February 22nd for the launch of the Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The preparations for the mission are well underway, with the Crew-8 hardware and ground systems currently being processed. The operations teams have also completed critical crew trainings in anticipation of the launch.
The Crew-8 mission will consist of four astronauts, including three from NASA and one from Roscosmos. The NASA astronauts are Matthew Dominick, who will serve as the commander, Michael Barratt as the pilot, and Jeanette Epps as the mission specialist. They will be joined by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who will also serve as a mission specialist. The team will travel to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and will stay there for approximately six months to conduct research and operational tasks.
The Dragon spacecraft that will be used for this mission is named Endeavour and is currently undergoing refurbishment for its fifth flight. It has previously supported several missions, including NASA’s Demo-2, Crew-2, and Crew-6, as well as Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 1. The refurbishment process includes the installation of new components such as the heatshield, parachutes, pod panels, Draco engines, and nosecone.
SpaceX recently completed the propulsion system checkouts for the Dragon spacecraft at its processing facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The next step is to stack the Dragon on its trunk and transport it to SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for integration with the Falcon 9 rocket.
Simultaneously, teams are also preparing the Falcon 9 booster that will be used for the Crew-8 mission. This will be the booster’s first flight. It has recently completed stage testing and will undergo final assembly in SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A. Once all the checkouts for the rocket and spacecraft systems are complete, the integrated stack will be rolled to the pad and raised to a vertical position for a static fire test before the actual launch.
The Crew-8 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew transportation to and from the ISS. This will be the ninth human spaceflight mission supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the eighth crew rotation mission to the ISS since 2020.
For the latest updates on the progress and flight readiness of Crew-8, you can follow the commercial crew blog. More details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can also be found on the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.
With the preparations well underway, NASA and SpaceX are eagerly looking forward to the launch of the Crew-8 mission on February 22nd. This mission represents another milestone in the ongoing collaboration between NASA and SpaceX in advancing human space exploration and research on the International Space Station.
