NASA finalizes astronauts for SpaceX Crew-8 mission to ISS

NASA has revealed the four crew members for the SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is scheduled for early 2024 and marks the eighth rotational flight under the agency's Commercial Crew Program, which aims to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

Leading the SpaceX Crew-8 mission as Commander will be NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, who is an active-duty U.S. Navy astronaut. Joining him as a pilot will be NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, who is no stranger to space exploration. Having flown on two previous spaceflights and spent a total of 212 days in space, this will be the third trip for Barratt.

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps will serve as a Mission Specialist for the Crew-8 mission. This also will be her first trip to the space station. Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin will also be flying on this mission. This will be his first flight to the space station.

The quartet will travel to the space station aboard a SpaceX Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket and stay aboard the orbiting laboratory for a long period, conducting scientific investigations and experiments.

The SpaceX Crew-8 mission represents a continuation of NASA's fruitful collaboration with SpaceX. Through the Commercial Crew Program, the partnership has demonstrated the potential for commercial spaceflight to transform the way astronauts travel to and from the ISS.

Here's who heading to space on NASA's @SpaceX #Crew8 mission!@NASA_Astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will lift off to the @Space_Station in early 2024. Get the details: https://t.co/WUTpzzlCdB pic.twitter.com/eY47VOh7LH

— NASA (@NASA) August 4, 2023

Meanwhile, NASA and SpaceX are gearing up for the launch of the seventh rotational mission to the space station, Crew-7, scheduled for Friday, August 25. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard the company's Dragon spacecraft.