The latest from NASA's Commercial Crew program has introduced the new batch of astronauts that would join the mission aboard the Dragon spacecraft, heading towards their future home in the low-Earth orbit. Four new space crew members are making the future trip to the International Space Station (ISS) where they will stay for scientific research missions.
Its announcement of the Crew-10 members was revealed ahead of the upcoming launch with SpaceX, centering on the Crew-9 mission.
NASA Introduces New Crew-10 Astronauts Going to ISS
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members (pictured from left to right) NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi. (Photo : NASA)
NASA shared a new release that details the future mission under the Commercial Crew program, now naming the four astronauts who will be part of its upcoming Crew-10 mission. The latest lineup of the mission's crew is made up of an international ensemble from other countries' space agencies, making the four-person-strong team heading to the ISS.
Commander Anne McClain and Nichole Ayer, pilot, are the two astronauts from NASA who would be part of this future trip. They will be accompanied by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut from Roscosmos, Kirill Peskov.
Its latest announcement of the Crew-10 lineup will be launching by February 2025 or later, with the mission to be fulfilled by SpaceX.
The announcement from NASA came amidst the massive preparations now made by the agency for its next upcoming mission known as the Crew-9, and would yet again use SpaceX's rockets.
NASA and SpaceX's Crew-9 launch will take place in the latter part of the month, particularly by August 18, taking place in Launch Complex 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
NASA's Commercial Crew Space Program
NASA has long conceptualized the renowned Commercial Crew program which centers on partnerships with private space companies in fulfilling the spacecraft's development and launch to bring astronauts to the ISS. The first flight of the Commercial Crew took place in 2020, with SpaceX's Dragon and Falcon rockets fulfilling the mission and successfully bringing Crew-1 to orbit.
The other partner that was previously selected by NASA was Boeing, centering on its Starliner spacecraft that was meant to transport humans to the cosmos. However, its recent crewed test flight saw unexpected events and results, with the spacecraft still docked to the ISS as the company and the space agency are still running checks and tests for when it would return.
To date, SpaceX is the only company that has fulfilled its end of the contract given by NASA, with the Commercial Crew program still placed on the Elon Musk-owned company's shoulders.
NASA and SpaceX will launch Crew-9 this August, but the national space agency already named its Crew-10 astronauts, set for a February 2025 mission.
