Summary
SpaceX Crew-6 is planned to be the sixth crewed operational NASA Commercial Crew flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the eleventh overall crewed orbital flight. The mission is planned for launch in early 2023. The Crew-6 mission would transport four crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). As of December 2021[update], two NASA astronauts have been assigned to the mission, with two more international astronauts to be named later. The two NASA astronauts are Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg.[1] However, continued international collaboration on ISS missions has been thrown into doubt by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia.[2]
 Artists' impression of a Crew Dragon approaching the forward port of Harmony on the ISS. | |
| Names | USCV-6 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS crew transport |
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Launch mass | 12,519 kg (27,600 lb) |
| Landing mass | 9,616 kg (21,200 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 2023 (planned) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | Fall 2023 (planned) |
| Landing site | Atlantic Ocean |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Harmony forward |
| Undocking date | Q3 2023 (planned) |
| Time docked | 90–120 days (planned) |
CrewEdit
Two crew members are yet to be announced. This includes the possible inclusion of a Russian cosmonaut who would be a part of the Soyuz-Dragon crew swap system of keeping at least one NASA astronaut and one cosmonaut on each of the crew rotation missions. This system would ensure that both countries have a presence on the station, and the ability to maintain their separate systems, if either Soyuz or commercial crew vehicles are grounded for an extended period.[3] On 24 March 2022 the European Space Agency announced that Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen would serve as backup pilot.[4] On 29 April 2022, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Axiom Space announced that Crew-6 will also include an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.[5]
MBRSC participation in this mission is a byproduct of a 2021 agreement between NASA and Axiom to fly a NASA astronaut, Mark T. Vande Hei, onboard Soyuz MS-18 (launch) and Soyuz MS-19 (return) in order to ensure a continuing American presence onboard the ISS. In return, Axiom received the rights to a NASA owned seat onboard SpaceX Crew-6. Axiom provided the flight opportunity to MBRSC professional crew member through an agreement with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency.[6]
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft commander |  Stephen Bowen, NASAExpedition 68/69 Fourth spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Warren Hoburg, NASA Expedition 68/69 First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 |  TBA, MBRSCExpedition 68/69 TBA spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | TBA Expedition 68/69 | |
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft commander | Jasmin Moghbeli, NASA
| |
| Pilot |  Andreas Mogensen, ESA
| |
| Mission Specialist 1 | TBA | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | TBA | |
MissionEdit
The sixth SpaceX operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program is scheduled to launch in early 2023.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Potter, Sean (16 December 2021). "Two Astronauts Receive Assignments for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission". NASA. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Witze, Alexandra (11 March 2022). "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is redrawing the geopolitics of space". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00727-x. PMID 35277688. S2CID 247407886. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Rogozin says Crew Dragon safe for Russian cosmonauts". SpaceNews. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ @esaspaceflight (24 March 2022). "@YannickJungman3 @Astro_Andreas @Space_Station @SpaceX @esa @UFM_MIN @DTUtweet @AschbacherJosef Pilot for Crew-7, a…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Emirati astronaut set for six-month mission to International Space Station". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Axiom Space and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center Sign Agreement for UAE Astronaut to Fly on the ISS in 2023". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
