Next month, SpaceX is set to launch its seventh rotation of crew members to the International Space Station for NASA. The upcoming Crew-7 mission is notable for being the most diverse crew to fly on a Dragon spacecraft, with all four members hailing from different nations and agencies – a first for SpaceX.
SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Members
| Astronaut | Agency | Position | # of Spaceflights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmin Moghbeli | NASA | Commander | 0 |
| Andreas Mogensen | ESA | Pilot | 1 |
| Satoshi Furukawa | JAXA | Mission Specialist 1 | 1 |
| Konstantin Borisov | Roscosmos | Mission Specialist 2 | 0 |
Leading the mission will be NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, a Marine test pilot embarking on her inaugural spaceflight. Moghbeli’s journey began when her family emigrated from West Germany to the United States. After attending MIT, she was commissioned as an officer in the US Marines, where she flew Super Cobras. She was selected in NASA Astronaut Group 22, alongside already well-known names like Jonny Kim, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron.
Joining Moghbeli is Andreas Morgensen from the European Space Agency (ESA). Morgensen is an aerospace engineer from Denmark and holds the distinction of being his country’s first astronaut. He previously participated in a ten-day stay on the ISS from September 2 to September 12, 2015, during his first spaceflight (TMA-18M/TMA-16M). Notably, Morgensen will be the first ESA astronaut to pilot a spacecraft and the first non-US citizen to pilot a US spacecraft.
Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is another crew member with prior spaceflight experience. Furukawa has been a JAXA astronaut since 1999 and previously traveled to the ISS during expeditions 28 and 29 in 2011.
Completing the Crew-7 lineup is Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. This will be Borisov’s first spaceflight, and he is participating in a seat exchange program between NASA and Roscosmos for SpaceX Dragon and Soyuz flights. While his work will primarily be on the Russian side of the station, Borisov will be tethered to Crew-7’s Dragon spacecraft for transportation.
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Launching no earlier than late August
As of publication, SpaceX’s Crew-7 is scheduled to take flight on August 21. The launch has experienced a few delays to allow SpaceX sufficient time to prepare the launch site for crewed flight following a recent Falcon Heavy launch.
During their mission, the Crew-7 members will stay aboard the ISS for six months, during which they will witness several cargo missions visiting the station. Additionally, there is a possibility of observing the crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with further updates anticipated this week. Notably, Moghbeli will be joining several astronauts from her group on the station, including Frank Rubio, who will remain until the fall, and Warren Hoburg, the pilot of SpaceX’s Crew-6 flight.
