Energy News
SPACE TRAVEL
NASA and SpaceX postpone launch of ISS crew rotation mission
NASA and SpaceX postpone launch of ISS crew rotation mission
By Greg Newton
Kennedy Space Center, United States (AFP) Aug 25, 2023
NASA and SpaceX said Thursday they have postponed the launch of a crew of four to the International Space Station.

NASA said the mission was "standing down" from a scheduled Friday launch time, but did not provide a reason for the move.

"Launch now is targeted at 3:27 am (local time; 07:27 GMT) Saturday, Aug. 26, for SpaceX's seventh crew rotation mission to the microgravity laboratory for NASA," the US space agency said in a statement.

Dubbed Crew-7, the mission will be commanded by American Jasmin Moghbeli and includes Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan and Konstantin Borisov of Russia.

Lift-off is planned from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a backup opportunity at 3:04 am (07:04 GMT) on Sunday.

SpaceX said the new launch date provided "teams additional time to complete and discuss analysis."

"The vehicles remain healthy and crew is ready to fly."

It will be the first space mission for both Moghbeli and Borisov.

"This is something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember," said Moghbeli, a Naval test pilot, during a media call last month.

"One of the things I'm most excited about is looking back at our beautiful planet," added the 40-year-old of Iranian heritage.

"Everyone who I've talked to who has flown already has said that was a life changing perspective -- and also floating around in space, it seems really fun."

Crew-7 is set to be the seventh routine mission to the orbital platform for Elon Musk's SpaceX, with the first coming in 2020.

NASA pays SpaceX for the taxi service as part of a commercial crew program that it put in place to reduce dependency on Russian rockets for astronaut transport after the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.

Boeing is the other contracted private partner, but its program remains mired in delays and technical difficulties and it has not yet flown any crew.

Borisov will be the third Russian to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, fixed atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Space remains a rare area of cooperation between the US and Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine, with Americans also continuing to fly aboard Russian Soyuz rockets that launch from Kazakhstan.

The crew will spend six months aboard the ISS, where they will carry out science experiments including collecting samples during a spacewalk to determine whether the station releases microorganisms through life support system vents.

The goal is to understand if microorganisms can survive and reproduce in space.

Another experiment will aim to assess the physiological differences between sleep on Earth and in space.

"I'm looking forward to coping with all the tasks. This is a very interesting profession: you are preparing for something that you haven't tried yet, and you really want to do it well," said Borisov.

Crew-7 will join the seven people already aboard the ISS, before members of Crew-6 leave for Earth a few days later.

The first segment of the ISS was launched in 1998, and it has been continuously inhabited by an international crew since 2001.

Its operations are set to continue until at least 2030, after which it will be decommissioned and crash into the ocean. Several private companies are working on commercial space stations to replace it.

Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SPACE TRAVEL
Russian cosmonauts perform spacewalk to attach debris shields to space station
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 9, 2023
Two Russian Cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk Wednesday to upgrade systems on the International Space Station. Before they set out on the spacewalk, NASA officials said cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin "will venture outside the station's Poisk airlock to attach three debris shields to the Rassvet module." NASA said the pair "will test the sturdiness of a work platform that will be affixed to the end of the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory mo ... read more

SPACE TRAVEL
Chevron, partners develop a transportation fuel using animal waste as a feedstock

Making aviation fuel from biomass

Transforming flies into degradable plastics

Illinois research leading to cleaner propane production method

SPACE TRAVEL
Lithuanian invention at the forefront of solar technology breakthrough

Solar powered irrigation: a game-changer for small-scale farms in sub-Saharan Africa

To improve solar and other clean energy tech, look beyond hardware

US accuses Chinese companies of evading solar panel tariffs

SPACE TRAVEL
World's largest floating offshore wind farm starts full service, Norway's Equinor says

DLR opens wind energy research farm in Krummendeich

U.S. identifies three new areas for potential offshore wind energy development

Biden to visit Philly Shipyard to announce construction of offshore wind vessel

SPACE TRAVEL
Campaigners urge debt cancellation to cut fossil fuel reliance

Bringing sustainable and affordable electricity to all

European energy firms doing nothing to tackle climate change, says Greenpeace

UK lagging in switch to green energy, study warns

SPACE TRAVEL
Alumnus' thermal battery helps industry eliminate fossil fuels

Jeep owner Stellantis invests $100 mn in US lithium

DoE announces $112 million for research on computational projects in fusion energy sciences

US lab repeats nuclear fusion feat, with higher yield

SPACE TRAVEL
As wildfires multiply, a new era of air pollution

Jakarta orders civil servants work from home to improve air quality

Oceans release microplastics into the atmosphere

London police probe vandalism of vehicle pollution cameras

SPACE TRAVEL
Graphene discovery could help generate hydrogen cheaply and sustainably

Iraq, Turkey talk water, oil and the PKK

Ecuador votes to halt oil drilling in Amazon's Yasuni National Park

Big potential for green hydrogen in North Africa: report

SPACE TRAVEL
Martian Tapas With a View: Sols 3926-3927

Delight at Dream Lake

Scientists proposed to adapt a Mars ISRU system to the changing Mars environment

A 'Blissful' Martian Rock Paradise, Straight Ahead: Sols 3919-3920

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.