Sunday 31 October will remain a backup date, should a second launch attempt be required.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is a member of Crew-3 and will be launched alongside NASA astronauts Raja Chari (mission commander), Tom Marshburn (pilot)and fellow mission specialist Kayla Barron on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Crew-3 astronauts are scheduled for a long-duration science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory, living and working as part of what is expected to be a seven-member crew.
A launch on 30 October would see Crew-3 arrive at the International Space Station early the next day after an approximately 22-hour journey for a short overlap with the astronauts that flew to the Station as part of the Crew-2 mission.
Return of Crew-2 with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, is currently scheduled for early-to-mid November. Crew-3 astronauts are set to return in late April 2022.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and his SpaceX Crew-2 crew mates. Credit: SpaceX
Missions teams continue to target 15 April, 2022, for the launch of Crew-4 to the space station for a six-month science mission aboard the microgravity laboratory.
Crew-4 will be commanded by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren with fellow NASA astronaut Bob Hines as pilot. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will be a mission specialist and command the ISS Expedition 68 crew, while the remaining crew member has yet to be named. Crew-3 astronauts are set to return to Earth in late April 2022 following a similar handover with Crew-4.
Following Crew-4, the next US Commercial Crew flights are targeting September 2022 and March 2023 with the specific commercial partner to be determined.