posted 02-12-2021 01:23 PM               

NASA Assigns Astronauts to Agency's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission to Space Station

NASA has assigned two crew members to launch on the agency's SpaceX Crew-4 mission – the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the Crew-4 mission. Additional crew members will be assigned as mission specialists in the future by the agency's international partners.

The mission is expected to launch in 2022 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lindgren, Hines, and the international crew members will join an expedition crew aboard the space station for a long-duration stay.

This will be Lindgren's second trip into space, following a 141-day stay at the space station in 2015 for Expeditions 44 and 45. Part of an Air Force family, he was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and spent a good part of his childhood living in England before finishing high school at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master's degree in cardiovascular physiology from Colorado State University, and a medical degree from the University of Colorado. Before being selected as an astronaut in 2009, he was a flight surgeon supporting space shuttle and space station missions. In December 2020, NASA named him as one of the Artemis Team of astronauts helping to pave the way for NASA's upcoming lunar missions.

Hines, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, was selected as an astronaut in 2017 and will be making his first trip into space. He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but considers Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to be his hometown. He graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and went on to earn a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He is also a graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot school. Before becoming an astronaut, he supported multiple military deployments in the Middle East, Africa and Europe; served as a flight test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration; and flew as a research pilot at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station is providing expanded utility, additional research time, and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.

For more than 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, 242 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries.

The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and developing a robust low-Earth orbit economy, NASA is free to focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.

posted 05-28-2021 09:34 AM               

Commanding role for ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is expected to serve as International Space Station commander for Expedition 68a, following an in-principle agreement by international partners on 19 May, pending consolidation of the Space Station's operational plans and launch dates.

As a member of Crew-4, Samantha will be launched with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines to the Station from Florida, USA, on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2022. This will be Samantha's second space mission and the experience she brings will stand her in good stead as Europe's first female in command of a Station expedition.

"Returning to the International Space Station to represent Europe is an honour in itself," says Samantha. "I am humbled by my appointment to the position of commander and look forward to drawing on the experience I've gained in space and on Earth to lead a very capable team in orbit."

posted 11-16-2021 02:30 PM               

NASA Assigns Astronaut Jessica Watkins to NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission

NASA has assigned astronaut Jessica Watkins to serve as a mission specialist on the agency's upcoming SpaceX Crew-4 mission, the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.

This will be Watkins' first trip to space following her selection as an astronaut in 2017. Watkins joins NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Robert Hines, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, as a crew member for the Crew-4 mission.

NASA previously announced the assignments of Lindgren and Hines as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, in February, and ESA announced Cristoforetti as a mission specialist for the mission in May.

Crew-4 is scheduled to launch in April 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a six-month science mission aboard the microgravity laboratory.

Watkins was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and considers Lafayette, Colorado, her hometown. She earned a bachelor's degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University and a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Watkins conducted her graduate research on the emplacement mechanisms of large landslides on Mars and Earth. She began her career at NASA as an intern and has worked at the agency's Ames Research Center in California and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. At the time of her astronaut selection, Watkins was a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, where she collaborated as a member of the Science Team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity.

posted 03-23-2022 05:15 PM               

SpaceX Dragon 'Freedom' named for first astronaut's ride into space

SpaceX's next new spacecraft to carry astronauts into orbit now shares a name with the first capsule to fly an American into space more than 60 years ago.

Crew Dragon "Freedom" will make its debut with the launch of SpaceX's Crew-4, which includes NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Lindgren, who is the mission's commander, revealed the name on Wednesday (March 23).

posted 04-18-2022 04:43 PM               

Crew-4 astronauts arrive at Florida spaceport

The astronauts launching to the International Space Station as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission arrived Monday (April 18) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to undergo final preparations.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy after departing earlier from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Crew-4 astronauts are scheduled to lift off at 5:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. They are slated to arrive at the space station the following day, where they will begin their science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. Docking is targeted for around 6:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday, April 24.

posted 04-20-2022 09:25 AM               

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

posted 04-26-2022 08:02 AM               

Launch Readiness Review Concludes

On Tuesday, April 26, teams with NASA and SpaceX completed the final major review – the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) – for the agency's Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. At the conclusion of the review, the team confirmed the target launch time of 3:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Weather officials with the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron continue to predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff of the Crew-4 mission based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are the cumulus cloud and flight through precipitation rules. Teams will also monitor weather conditions both for the launch area and downrange for the flight of Crew Dragon.

posted 04-27-2022 03:19 AM               

Dragon flies: SpaceX 'Freedom' launches Crew-4 to space station

Four astronauts are now on their way to the International Space Station, flying on the fourth crew rotation flight on a U.S. commercial spacecraft.

Mission commander Kjell Lindgren, pilot Bob Hines and mission specialist Jessica Watkins, all with NASA, together with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched as SpaceX's Crew-4 on Wednesday (April 27). Riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket on a new Dragon spacecraft named "Freedom," the four astronauts lifted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:52 a.m. EDT (0752 GMT).

posted 04-27-2022 08:32 PM               

Dragon Freedom docks at space station

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday, April 27, as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom docked to the complex at 7:37 p.m. EDT (2337 GMT) while the spacecraft were flying about 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

Following Crew Dragon's link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard Dragon and the space station began conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft and then proceeded with hatch opening.

Lindgren, Hines, Watkins and Cristoforetti are joining the Expedition 67 crew of Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, all of NASA, Matthias Maurer of ESA, and cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev of Roscosmos. For a short time, the number of crew on the space station will increase to 11 people until NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 departs in early May.

posted 10-11-2022 06:38 PM               

Crew-4 astronauts prepare to return to Earth

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 5:41 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 13, for the splashdown and conclusion of the Crew-4 flight, wrapping up a nearly six-month science mission. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft "Freedom" is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, to begin the journey home.

Weather remains a watch item as teams track the progress of a cold front forecast to pass over the splashdown areas off the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. Mission teams will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review at six hours prior to undocking. Additional undocking opportunities also are available Thursday, Oct. 13.

posted 10-12-2022 02:42 PM               

Crew-4 departure delayed

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 10:05 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 13, for the agency's Crew-4 undocking from the International Space Station to begin the return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. Splashdown is targeted several hours later at 5:43 p.m. Thursday off the coast of Florida.

Mission teams continue to monitor a cold front passing over Florida with the potential to bring high winds and rainy weather near the splashdown zones off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Mission teams will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review around six hours prior to undocking.

Crew 4's Dragon undocking depends on a variety of factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. Dragon Freedom remains healthy while currently docked to the space station. Back-up undocking opportunities also are available Friday, Oct. 14.

posted 10-13-2022 11:05 AM               

Weather further delays Crew-4 undocking

NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 13 departure opportunity for the agency's Crew-4 mission from the International Space Station due to increased winds forecast in the splashdown area.

Mission teams will meet later in the day to determine the next target for Crew-4's undocking to begin their return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. The next available undocking opportunity is no earlier than 11:35 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14.

NASA and SpaceX will continue to monitor a cold front passing over Florida bringing high winds and rainy weather near the splashdown zones off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

posted 10-13-2022 01:17 PM               

Crew-4 targets new return date, weather permitting

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 11:35 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14, for the agency's Crew-4 undocking from the International Space Station to begin their return trip to Earth completing a nearly six-month science mission in orbit. Splashdown is targeted several hours later at approximately 4:50 p.m. off the coast of Florida.

Mission teams continue to monitor a cold front passing through Florida on Thursday, Oct. 13, bringing high winds and rainy weather near the splashdown zones off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Current weather predictions are showing greater forecast certainty Friday due to a high-pressure system behind the cold front, which is expected to bring more favorable conditions for splashdown and recovery. NASA and SpaceX will continue to monitor splashdown and recovery conditions with another weather review around eight hours prior to undocking. Teams also will review multiple options for undocking opportunities Friday and Saturday.

posted 10-14-2022 02:52 PM               

Dragon Freedom undocks from station

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. EDT (1605 GMT) on Friday (Oct. 14) to complete a nearly six-month mission.

Freedom and the Crew-4 astronauts are scheduled to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 GMT).

posted 10-14-2022 04:19 PM               

SpaceX Dragon 'Freedom' lands with Crew-4 astronauts from space station

Four astronauts are home from a nearly six-month stay on the International Space Station, having safely splashed down on board a SpaceX capsule off the coast of Florida.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, together with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA), returned to Earth on Friday (Oct. 14) on the Crew Dragon "Freedom." The Crew-4 crewmates descended under parachutes to a 4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 GMT) landing in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Jacksonville.