SpaceX Crew-5 mission begins

On October 6, 2022, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft set off with four astronauts on board: Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, both from NASA, Koichi Wakata from JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) and Anna Kikina from Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency), respectively mission commander, pilot and space specialists. mission.

The space launch was made from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States.

This is SpaceX’s sixth flight with NASA astronauts (including the 2020 Demo-2 test flight to the International Space Station) as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

During their months aboard the International Space Station, members of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission will conduct more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies on 3D printing human organs in space and to delve into some aspects of heart disease.

As commander, Mann is responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to reentry, and will serve as Expedition 68 flight engineer. This is her first spaceflight since being admitted as an astronaut in 2013. Mann is the first NASA Native American woman in space. She is a colonel in the United States Marine Corps, and served as a test pilot in F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission taking off for the International Space Station using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cassada is the pilot of the spacecraft and second in command of the mission. He is responsible for ship systems. Aboard the station, he will serve as Expedition 68 flight engineer. This is his first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2013. Cassada is a US Navy physicist and test pilot.

Wakata will serve aboard the station as a flight engineer for Expedition 68. With the launch of Crew-5, the Dragon will be the third different type of spacecraft Wakata has flown into space.

This is her first trip to space for Kikina, and she will work as a flight engineer for Expedition 68. (Source: NCYT by Amazings)