NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 successfully docked with the International Space Station early Tuesday morning.
NASA announced Monday that the four-person crew had reached orbit following a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center aboard the Dragon Spacecraft propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket at about 9:53 p.m. CST. The crew consists of astronauts Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, according to NASA.
Upon arrival at the ISS, the astronauts joined the Expedition 70 crew, temporarily bringing the total crew members on board up to 11. The new crew members will conduct research on neurodegenerative disorders, the effects of microgravity on plants, and more to inform studies on Earth as well as missions beyond the planet.
“Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX on another successful launch to the International Space Station! On this eighth crew rotation mission, we are once again showing the strength of our commercial partnerships and American ingenuity that will propel us further in the cosmos,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a release.
“Aboard the station, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to help fuel this new era of space exploration and benefit humanity here on Earth.”
The Dragon spacecraft docked on the ISS at about 2:28 a.m. EST on March 5, roughly 260 miles above Newfoundland. Members of the previous Crew-7, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, will return to Earth later this week.
Crew 7 has worked aboard the ISS for the past six months, replacing SpaceX Crew-6 on September 3 last year, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
