It is a new manned flight operated by SpaceX, on behalf of NASA. It takes place on April 27, 2022. Four astronauts make the trip to the ISS. The takeoff can be followed live.
- When ? April 27, 2022, at 9:52 a.m. (Paris time).
- Where ? At Kennedy Space Center, Florida, then in space.
- What ? The departure of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the ISS.
What is SpaceX’s mission?
SpaceX is on a mission to carry four astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for an extended stay of six months — a common duration for trips on the ISS. The name of the mission is Crew-4, because it is the fourth manned mission (excluding test flights) that the American company has carried out on behalf of the American space agency.
In this context, SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 rocket, which will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket is currently SpaceX’s do-it-all rocket, pending the Starship. Once separated from the launcher and away from Earth, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule will maneuver until docking.
The four astronauts on board include three members of NASA, two men and a woman, all of American nationality: Kjell N. Lindgren, Robert Hines and Jessica Watkins. The last passenger, Samantha Cristoforetti, is of Italian nationality and represents the European Space Agency. Kjell and Samantha are on their second trip, Robert and Jessica their first.
Kjell Lindgren will be the pilot-in-command in the Crew Dragon — although, in effect, SpaceX’s automation of procedures and supervision takes some of the workload off the crew during the flight. Robert Hines acted as pilot. Samantha Cristoforetti and Jessica Watkins will serve as mission specialists.
When is the SpaceX Crew-4 mission departing?
This new manned mission led by SpaceX is scheduled for Wednesday April 27, 2022. It will be 9:52 a.m. in mainland France. A fallback window is open on Thursday, April 28. Initially, the flight was to take place earlier in the month, but this additional delay allowed NASA and SpaceX to give themselves a little leeway, and let the first private mission to the ISS end.
” The extra spacing gives mission teams time to complete final pre-launch processing for Crew-4 after the Axiom 1 mission launches to the space station. We take each mission step by step to ensure we move forward safely », thus explained Kathy Lueders on April 6, the boss in charge of manned flights at NASA.
Where to watch the SpaceX Crew-4 flight live?
You have at your disposal two great broadcasting channels to see the event live. On the one hand, you have the SpaceX site, which has its own feed and commentary team. Otherwise, you have the option of falling back on NASA. The US space agency has a live channel (in English).