NASA and SpaceX have announced the postponement of the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), originally scheduled for Friday. The mission, titled Crew-7, was "standing down" with a new launch target set for 3:27 am (local time; 07:27 GMT) on Saturday, August 26, according to a statement by NASA. The reason for the delay was not provided.
The Crew-7 mission will be commanded by American Jasmin Moghbeli and will include astronauts Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan, and Konstantin Borisov of Russia. The launch 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 explained that the new launch date allows the teams additional time for analysis and preparation, assuring that both the vehicles and the crew are ready for the mission. This mission marks the first spaceflight for both Jasmin Moghbeli and Konstantin Borisov.
Moghbeli, a Naval test pilot, expressed her excitement about the upcoming mission, highlighting the perspective of seeing Earth from space and the experience of floating in microgravity. Borisov, who will be the third Russian to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, shared his anticipation for the challenges of the mission.
The Crew-7 mission signifies the seventh routine trip to the ISS for SpaceX under Elon Musk's leadership, following the initial mission in 2020. NASA's partnership with SpaceX is part of its commercial crew program, which aims to reduce reliance on Russian rockets for transporting astronauts after the discontinuation of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. While Boeing is another contracted partner, their program has been plagued by delays and technical issues, preventing any crewed missions so far.
Despite geopolitical tensions, space remains a cooperative area between the United States and Russia. American astronauts continue to travel on Russian Soyuz rockets launched from Kazakhstan, and Borisov's upcoming flight reinforces this collaboration.
Once on the ISS, the Crew-7 members will spend six months conducting various science experiments, including assessing the survival and reproduction of microorganisms in space and comparing the physiological differences of sleep between Earth and space. The crew will join the existing members of the ISS and will overlap with the departing Crew-6 team for a few days.
The ISS has been continuously inhabited by an international crew since 2001, with operations projected to continue until at least 2030. While its decommissioning is planned after 2030, several private companies are actively working on commercial space station projects to succeed it.