Crew-6 astronauts launch to the ISS, including first Emirati long-duration crew member
The Crew Dragon Endeavour successfully completes its journey to the International Space Station, marking the second attempt to launch four people after a TEA-TEB engine ignition system issue.
The Crew-6 astronauts, including the first Emirati long-duration crew member, launched onboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on March 2. Dragon Endeavour completed its trip to the ISS 24 hours after launch, marking the fourth flight of the Crew Dragon Endeavour.
The mission makes history by launching the second astronaut from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into space. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) received this seat as part of a deal between NASA and Axiom Space. In exchange for the seat, Axiom was given a seat on Crew-6 at no additional cost.
The crew consists of commander Stephen Bowen, pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, mission specialist Sultan AlNeyadi from the UAE, and mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos. Bowen is the only crew member who has previously flown to space.
The Crew-6 mission marks the first crewed launch of 2023 and will bring the total number of people who have been to space to 657. The capsule has seven different abort modes which can be activated in case of an emergency, adding additional launch commit criteria that must be met to receive a “go” for launch from the range.
This mission marked the second attempt to launch four people to the International Space Station (ISS) after an issue with the TEA-TEB engine ignition system scrubbed Monday’s attempt. To allow for continued American presence aboard the ISS, Axiom gave up a seat aboard Soyuz MS-18 in April 2021, allowing NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei to fly.
Overall, the launch was a smooth countdown with no constraints from the vehicle or weather standpoints. SpaceX and NASA monitored weather along the eastern seaboard in case of an in-flight abort. The crew of four donned their spacesuits inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building ahead of the launch.
Endeavour docked to the zenith docking port on the ISS’ Harmony module and will remain docked to the station for the duration of the mission. This allows it to be used as an “emergency lifeboat” should something go wrong while at the ISS.