NASA and SpaceX Collaborate to Launch Crew-8 Mission to the International Space Station (ISS)

The year 2024 is set to be an exciting one for space exploration as NASA and SpaceX prepare for the launch of the Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This will be the second time in 2024 that a collection of four humans will fly on a SpaceX rocket and capsule to the ISS, highlighting the growing partnership between NASA and SpaceX.

The Crew-8 mission is scheduled to launch from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 3 at 10:53 PM EST. The crew will travel aboard the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft atop the Falcon 9 rocket. Upon reaching the ISS, they will take over duties from the Crew-7 astronauts who will be returning to Earth aboard the Dragon Endurance spacecraft.

The crew for the Crew-8 mission consists of three astronauts from NASA and a single cosmonaut representing the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Interestingly, three of the four fliers are first-timers with no previous spaceflight experience, similar to previous Commercial Crew missions. Let’s take a closer look at each member of the crew.

The commander of the Crew-8 mission is astronaut Matthew Dominick. Before joining NASA as part of the Group 22 astronaut class of 2017, Dominick served as a U.S. Navy test pilot. He holds science degrees in electrical and systems engineering and has logged over 1,600 hours of flight time in various aircraft models. Dominick was assigned to the Crew-8 mission soon after completing his two-year training as an astronaut candidate.

Dr. Michael Barratt, a native of Camas, Washington, will pilot the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft during the mission. He joined NASA in 2000 after serving as a flight surgeon for the joint Shuttle-Mir program and medical operations lead for the ISS. Barratt is the only member of the crew with previous spaceflight experience, having flown on two prior missions: Soyuz TMA-14 in 2009 and STS-133, the 39th and final mission for NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery. With his launch on Crew-8, Barratt will become one of the few astronauts to have flown on three different spacecraft.

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, from Syracuse, New York, is one of the mission specialists for Crew-8. Epps holds degrees in science, physics, and aerospace engineering. Before becoming an astronaut, she worked at the Ford Motor Company and the Central Intelligence Agency. Epps was selected as an astronaut in 2009 and completed candidate training in 2011. She was initially assigned as a flight engineer for Expedition 56/57 but was later reassigned to the Crew-8 mission in 2023. This will be her first spaceflight.

The second mission specialist for Crew-8 is Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin from Myski, Russia. Grebenkin was selected by Roscosmos in 2018 as a member of the 17th Cosmonaut Group and later appointed as flight engineer for Expedition 70/71. This will be his first spaceflight, and he will be flying as part of a seat barter agreement between NASA and Roscosmos.

The Crew-8 mission will also mark the fifth flight of the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Since its debut mission, Demo-2, which ended the nine-year gap in U.S. human spaceflight capabilities, Endeavour has flown three additional missions to the ISS. It’s one of four vehicles in the Crew Dragon fleet, alongside Resilience, Endurance, and Freedom.

The launch of Crew-8 will see the debut of a new Falcon 9 booster, B1083. After stage separation, the first stage will attempt a return to launch site landing at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1. Meanwhile, the second stage will continue pushing Dragon Endeavour and the crew to orbit. The spacecraft is expected to separate from the second stage approximately 11 minutes and 55 seconds after liftoff. Dragon will then perform a series of phasing burns to close in on the ISS and dock to the forward port of the Harmony module.

Originally scheduled for February 22, 2024, the Crew-8 mission experienced several delays due to various reasons, including the Intuitive Machines IM-1 lunar mission and ascent corridor weather. However, the outlook is now better, and the launch is scheduled for March 3.

When Dragon Endeavour reaches space, a total of 14 humans will be living and working in low Earth orbit. This includes the four Crew-8 astronauts, seven crew members from the Crew-7 and Soyuz MS-24 missions on the ISS, and three Chinese taikonauts in the Tiangong Space Station.

Crew-8 will be an important milestone in space exploration as it marks the 42nd orbital launch of 2024 and the 20th launch of a SpaceX rocket this year. It will also be the second crewed orbital mission in 2024 following the Axiom Mission 3 private spaceflight in January.

Excitement is building as NASA and SpaceX prepare to launch the Crew-8 mission to the ISS. With a crew of experienced astronauts and first-timers, this mission highlights the continued progress in human space exploration and the strong partnership between NASA and SpaceX. As we look to the future, we can expect even more groundbreaking missions that push the boundaries of what is possible in space.