Artykuły o Crew-3

[Orionid]

NASA officials hope to fly Russian cosmonaut on Crew Dragon next year
November 15, 2020 Stephen Clark


The Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft descends to a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan on Oct. 22. Credit: NASA/GCTC/Denis Derevtsov

NASA has submitted a draft agreement for government approval that would allow Russian cosmonauts to begin flying to the International Space Station on U.S. crew capsules next year in a no-funds exchanged arrangement with Russia’s space agency.

In return, Russia will continue launching U.S. and international astronauts on Soyuz missions.

But NASA will no longer be sending cash payments to the Russian government for the Soyuz seats. Instead, NASA will provide Russian cosmonauts with rides on SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner spaceships.

Kathy Lueders, head of NASA’s human spaceflight directorate, said Thursday that the space agency has submitted an “implementing agreement” to the U.S. State Department for review and approval. The agreement would then go through a similar process in the Russian government for approval.

The deal would allow the U.S. and Russian space agencies “to fly at least one crew member on each one of our vehicles,” Lueders said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. “So we’ll be following along, working through that process and getting that agreement approved on our side, and then also then after we approve it, it will go over to the Russians for their approval.”

Russian officials have said they are not assigning cosmonauts to missions on U.S. vehicles until they are flight-proven. After a successful Crew Dragon test flight with two astronauts earlier this year, NASA formally certified the SpaceX capsule and Falcon 9 rocket for operational crew missions during a two-day Flight Readiness Review that concluded Tuesday.

The readiness review cleared the way for launch of the first of at least six regular crew rotation flights to the space station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission, known as Crew-1, is set for launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday at 7:27 p.m. EST (0027 GMT Monday) with commander Mike Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Shannon Walker, and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

The four astronauts will kick off an expedition lasting nearly six months, joining NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov on the International Space Station.


SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft stands on top of a Falcon 9 rocket on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission is tentatively slated to launch March 30 from the Florida spaceport, beginning another expedition lasting roughly six months. A follow-on mission, Crew-3, is scheduled to launch in September 2021 with four more astronauts.

One of those four crew members on the Crew-3 mission will be a Russian cosmonaut, assuming the U.S. and Russian governments can finalize the agreement in time.

“We were hoping we would be able to have something in place by the spring timeframe, but I think probably it’ll be more likely in the late summer timeframe, around the Crew-3 timeframe,” Lueders said. “That’s what we’re shooting for right now.”

Lueders said Russian officials are looking for “multiple flights” of the Crew Dragon and Starliner before clearing cosmonauts to fly the new crew capsules.

“They’re really looking for how do you get multiple flights (of) experience, which we understand, to be able to show the same level of safety for their crew members (as Soyuz),” Lueders said.” But we’re hoping that these flights go well, and we can get the implementing agreement in place, and then we’ll be in the best long-term posture with each other.”

If the intergovernmental agreement is in place next year, an astronaut from NASA or one of the space station’s other international partners — Japan, Europe, or Canada — would take one of the three seats on a Soyuz mission launching from Kazakhstan in late 2021, Lueders said.

“And from there on, we would be (in a position) where every time there’s a flight, you’d have somebody from the other segment on that flight,” Lueders said.

A Soyuz flight set for launch in April will carry an all-Russian crew to the space station.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is not expected to begin regular crew rotation flights to the space station until late 2021, at the earliest. If NASA can sign an agreement with Roscosmos — Russia’s space agency — next year, it’s likely that cosmonauts will fly first on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.


NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy gives a thumbs-up after being helped out of the Russian Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft Oct. 22 on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/GCTC/Denis Derevtsov

The agreement will help ensure there is always a crew member on-board the space station to operate the outpost’s Russian section and U.S. Operating Segment, or USOS, which includes U.S., Japanese, European, and Canadian hardware. If Russia’s Soyuz program or the U.S. crew vehicles are grounded, crew members from the other international partners will still be able to fly to the space station.

“We feel like this is the best technical stance to support the vehicle, when you always have a crew member from the other segment on your vehicle and make sure that you always have somebody up there to operate the other segment if there’s a problem,” Lueders said. “It’s just a really solid logistics stance for us to be in, so we would like to get there as quickly as possible.”

NASA has paid the Russian government approximately $3.9 billion since 2006 to purchase Soyuz seats for astronauts from the United States and the station’s other international partners, according to a report last year by NASA’s inspector general.

The Soyuz spacecraft was the only vehicle capable of ferrying crews to and from the space station from the last space shuttle mission in 2011 until the Crew Dragon’s piloted test flight, which launched in May.

Flush with NASA money, Russian space contractors doubled the production of Soyuz crew capsules for launches beginning in 2009 to meet the demand for astronaut transportation to the space station. After NASA’s previous bulk purchase of Soyuz seats in 2017 expired this year, Russian officials cut back the Soyuz flight rate to two flights this year.

Earlier this year, NASA paid Russia more than $90 million for one additional Soyuz round-trip ticket to ensure the U.S. side of the space station remain staffed in the event of further delays with the Crew Dragon and Starliner spaceships. NASA assigned Rubins to that seat, and she launched Oct. 14 on the Soyuz MS-16 mission with Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov.

NASA’s inspector general reported last year the agency is paying an average of around $55 million per round-trip seat on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Boeing’s price is around $90 million per seat.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/15/nasa-officials-hope-to-fly-russian-cosmonaut-on-crew-dragon-next-year/

[Orionid]

NASA assigns astronauts for third SpaceX commercial crew mission
by Jeff Foust — December 14, 2020 [SN]


The Crew Dragon for the Crew-1 mission docked to the International Space Station. The Crew-3 mission, slated for launch in late 2021, will carry two NASA astronauts and one ESA astronaut, with a fourth crew member yet to be assigned. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA has selected three astronauts for a future SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station as it leaves open the possibility of exchanging seats with Russia.

NASA and the European Space Agency jointly announced Dec. 14 they had assigned NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer to the SpaceX Crew-3 mission. That commercial crew mission is scheduled for launch in the fall of 2021.

Chari, who will serve as commander of the mission, joined the astronaut corps in 2017 and will be making his first spaceflight. He is also part of NASA’s “Artemis Team” of astronauts announced Dec. 9 who are eligible for future Artemis lunar missions. Marshburn, a NASA astronaut since 2004, flew on the STS-127 shuttle mission in 2009 and spent nearly five months on the ISS in 2012 and 2013. Maurer, who joined ESA’s astronaut corps in 2015, will be making his first spaceflight.

The agencies did not announce who will occupy the fourth seat on the Crew Dragon spacecraft for this mission. “A fourth crew member will be added at a later date, following a review by NASA and its international partners,” NASA stated in a release about the crew assignments.

So far, only astronauts from NASA, ESA and the Japanese space agency JAXA have been assigned to commercial crew missions. The Crew-1 mission currently at the ISS includes three NASA astronauts and one JAXA astronaut, while the Crew-2 mission expected to launch in the spring of 2021 will fly two NASA astronauts and one each from ESA and JAXA.

NASA, however, has expressed its interest in what it calls “mixed crews,” flying Russian cosmonauts on commercial crew vehicles in exchange for allowing NASA astronauts to fly on Soyuz spacecraft. Those exchanges, done on a bartering basis, would ensure there is at least one NASA and one Roscosmos astronaut on the ISS should either the Soyuz or commercial crew vehicles be out of service for a time.

Roscosmos, though, has been skeptical about flying its cosmonauts on commercial crew missions. At a March meeting of the ISS Advisory Committee, former astronaut Tom Stafford, chair of the committee, said Russian officials would consider flying cosmonauts on commercial crew vehicles eventually, but would not fly on the first missions of those spacecraft.

Discussions to enable mixed crews are ongoing. “We’re looking to fly on each other’s vehicles, probably later in 2021,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA ISS program manager, at a Nov. 13 briefing about the Crew-1 mission, which launched two days later. The first step for doing so, he said, is a government-to-government “implementing agreement” that was being drafted at the time of the briefing.

The launch of Crew-3 will overlap with Crew-2, just as Crew-2 will overlap with Crew-1, NASA said. That means that the first operational mission by Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, called Starliner-1, will likely be delayed until at least the spring of 2022. NASA announced in August it had selected astronaut Jeanette Epps for that mission, joining Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada, who had been assigned to the flight in 2018.

At the time of the announcement, NASA said that Starliner-1 would launch by the end of 2021, but did not give a more precise date. The agency said Dec. 9 that a second uncrewed test flight of the spacecraft, called Orbital Flight Test 2, had been scheduled for March 29. That will be followed by a crewed test flight with three NASA astronauts on board in the summer of 2021.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-assigns-astronauts-for-third-spacex-commercial-crew-mission/

[Orionid]

NASA chief: Russian cosmonauts unlikely fly on U.S. crew capsules until next year
April 20, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy has his Sokol launch and entry suit pressure checked before boarding a Soyuz spacecraft for liftoff April 9 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector

NASA’s acting administrator said Tuesday he does not expect Russian cosmonauts to start launching to the International Space Station on U.S. commercial crew vehicles until next year.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/20/nasa-chief-russian-cosmonauts-unlikely-fly-on-u-s-crew-capsules-until-next-year/

[Orionid]

NASA adds astronaut to commercial crew mission
by Jeff Foust — May 17, 2021


NASA astronaut Kayla Barron has been assigned to the Crew-3 commercial crew mission to the space station, launching in October, taking a seat NASA left open in case it worked out a seat barter agreement with Roscosmos. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

WASHINGTON — NASA announced May 17 it has assigned another astronaut to the next commercial crew mission to the International Space Station, a sign that NASA no longer expects to complete a seat barter agreement with Roscosmos in time for that flight.

NASA said that Kayla Barron will join the Crew-3 mission, launching on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft scheduled for launch no earlier than Oct. 23. Barron joins NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, who had been assigned to Crew-3 last December. (...)

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-adds-astronaut-to-commercial-crew-mission/

[Orionid]

NASA astronaut to stay on ISS for nearly a year
by Jeff Foust — September 14, 2021 [SN]


NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will set a new record for longest American spaceflight because of a six-month extension NASA confirmed Sept. 14. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA confirmed Sept. 14 that one its astronauts, Mark Vande Hei, will remain on the International Space Station until next March, setting an American spaceflight duration record in the process.

The agency announced that Vande Hei, along with Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, had their six-month stays on the station extended by another six months. The two launched to the station on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft April 9 along with Oleg Novitskiy.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-astronaut-to-stay-on-iss-for-nearly-a-year/

[Orionid]

Kayla Barron, a pioneering submarine officer, is ready for her first flight to space
October 28, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA astronaut Kayla Barron inside a Crew Dragon spacecraft trainer at SpaceX’s headquarters Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron was one of the first women to serve as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. Now she’s ready to apply her experience under the waves to a flight above the atmosphere on the International Space Station.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/28/kayla-barron-a-pioneering-submarine-officer-is-ready-for-her-first-flight-to-space/

[Orionid]

Weather delays Crew-3 launch
by Jeff Foust — October 30, 2021 [SN]


The SpaceX Falcon 9 and its Crew Dragon spacecraft on the pad at Launch Complex 39A, awaiting a launch for the Crew-3 mission now scheduled for Nov. 3. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

DUBAI, U.A.E. — Poor weather at locations in the Atlantic that could be used for Crew Dragon aborts will delay the launch of the next commercial crew mission to the International Space Station by three days.

Source: https://spacenews.com/weather-delays-crew-3-launch/

[Orionid]

SpaceX crew launch delayed due to high winds and waves offshore
October 30, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA astronaut Kayla Barron, commander Raja Chari, pilot Tom Marshburn, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer pose in their SpaceX flight suits at launch pad 39A during a dress rehearsal Thursday night. Credit: SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX managers in Florida decided early Saturday to delay the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station from Sunday to Wednesday, when high winds and rough seas are expected to subside along the Falcon 9 rocket’s flight path across the Atlantic Ocean.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/30/spacex-crew-launch-delayed-due-to-high-winds-and-waves-offshore/

[Orionid]

Matthias Maurer talks science and spacewalks on the space station
October 27, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer during training at SpaceX. Credit: SpaceX

Matthias Maurer’s last name in German means brick layer. Naturally, Maurer says, that means he has been assigned to perform an experiment with concrete during his six-month stint on the International Space Station.

Maurer, 51, is preparing to launch on SpaceX’s next crew mission to the space station. The European Space Agency astronaut is set to head into orbit for the first time.

The mission will make Maurer the 600th person to fly into space since the dawn of the Space Age. He’s eager to start on his science mission on the space station, where he will operate facilities inside the European Columbus lab module and support research in other segments of the outpost.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/27/matthias-maurer-talks-science-and-spacewalks-on-the-international-space-station/

[Orionid]

German astronaut to become 600th person to fly into space
October 27, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Astronauts Matthias Maurer, Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final launch preparations. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

Astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Matthias Maurer, and Kayla Barron flew from their home base in Houston to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Tuesday to begin their final few days of launch preparations before blasting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the International Space Station Sunday.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/27/german-astronaut-to-become-600th-person-to-fly-into-space/

[Orionid]

Tom Marshburn brings extensive spaceflight experience to Crew-3 mission
November 1, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn in his custom SpaceX flight suit. Credit: SpaceX

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, a medical doctor and veteran of launches on the space shuttle and Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, joins three rookie space fliers on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Endurance” poised for liftoff on mission to the International Space Station.

The 61-year-old astronaut has logged 161 days in space on two previous missions. Marshburn is ready to more than double his time in space on his next six-month stint on the space station.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/01/tom-marshburn-brings-extensive-spaceflight-experience-to-crew-3-mission/

[Orionid]

Crew Dragon launch delayed by “minor medical issue” with an astronaut
November 1, 2021 William Harwood  STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]


ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, NASA pilot Tom Marshburn, commander Raja Chari, and mission specialist Kayla Barron inside the crew access arm at launch pad 39A during a dry dress rehearsal Oct. 28. Credit: SpaceX

The planned launch of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Wednesday carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station has been delayed to at least Saturday because of a “minor medical issue” with one of the crew members, NASA announced Monday.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/01/crew-dragon-launch-delayed-by-minor-medical-issue-with-an-astronaut/

[Orionid]

Medical issue delays Crew-3 launch
by Jeff Foust — November 2, 2021 [SN]


Astronauts (from left) Matthias Maurer, Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron during a rehearsal for the Crew-3 launch. A “minor medical issue” involving one of them has postponed the launch to no earlier than Nov. 6. Credit: SpaceX

WASHINGTON — The launch of the next commercial crew mission to the International Space Station, already postponed by weather, has been further delayed by what NASA calls a “minor medical issue” with one of its four astronauts.

Source: https://spacenews.com/medical-issue-delays-crew-3-launch/

[Orionid]

NASA rules out weekend Crew Dragon launch, may bring station crew home first
November 4, 2021 William Harwood  STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SN]


SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft sits atop its Falcon 8 launcher at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 31. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA has ruled out a weekend launch for a SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station, delaying the Crew-3 flight to Monday at the earliest due to expected bad weather, agency officials said Thursday.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/04/nasa-rules-out-weekend-crew-dragon-launch-may-bring-station-crew-home-first/

[Orionid]

Raja Chari is the first rookie astronaut in 48 years to command a NASA mission
November 10, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Commander Raja Chari in his custom-fitted SpaceX flight suit. Credit: SpaceX

Raja Chari, a veteran U.S. Air Force test pilot and combat veteran awaiting launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, is the first rookie astronaut to command a NASA space mission since the final crew blasted off to the Skylab space station in 1973.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/10/raja-chari-is-the-first-rookie-astronaut-in-nearly-50-years-to-command-a-nasa-mission/