NASA eyes August 15 for launch of SpaceX Crew-7 mission to space station

NASA is targeting Tuesday, August 15, for the launch of SpaceX's seventh rotational mission to the International Space Station. The mission, called SpaceX Crew-7, will be lifted by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, will carry NASA astronaut and mission commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and pilot Andreas Mogensen, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov as mission specialists.

This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli and Borisov, and the second flight for Mogensen and Furukawa.

Following a handover period, crew members from NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission, currently aboard the space station, are scheduled for return to Earth aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft 'Endeavour'.

🚀 Launch update: The earliest targeted launch date for @NASA’s @SpaceX Crew-7 mission is Tuesday, Aug. 15.The application for media credentials to cover launch from @NASAKennedy is now open. Apply now: https://t.co/CDJYYt9Zci pic.twitter.com/rYqj1gMrqW

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) July 5, 2023

NASA's Commercial Crew Program aims to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station through a partnership with American private industry.