The next launch to the Space Station is planned for April 9th and is only a few days away. Preparations for the launch have been complicated with illness and coronavirus complications. AS OF NOW, the launch is still on track to rocket American astronaut Chris Cassidy and his two Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. Originally, Ivanishin and Vagner were backup for expedition 63. Due to a temporary health condition, Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner were moved forward onto the prime crew. Because of delays in the US Commercial Crew Program, the crew on the ISS may be lower than normal.
Boeing and SpaceX delays put ISS operations at Risk
Since delays to the US Commercial Crew Program might leave Cassidy as the only crew member on the USOS for an extended time, Anatoli Ivanishin has been training on US EMU spacesuits. Cassidy has completed multiple EVAs in the past, including an unscheduled EVA. In the unlikely event that an unscheduled EVA is required before additional USOS crew members arrive at the station, then Ivanishin can support Cassidy. Should Ivanishin participate in EVA in the EMU he would be the first Russian cosmonaut to use an EMU since 2007 where Yuri Malenchenko performed the EVA with NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson. Vagner has been to training on the operation of the USOS Robotic Arm (Canadarm 2) should there be a need to robotically support any EVA carried out by Cassidy and Ivanishin.
The three astronauts are scheduled to be in space until October 2020 by which time a SpaceX Crew Dragon should be able to rotate a new crew onto the ISS.
During expedition 63, NASA and SpaceX hope to accomplish the first humans launched to the ISS from American soil since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is a flight test with a crew. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will take the Crew Dragon for a “Test drive” on the Demo-2 mission. NASA hopes to certify all of the systems operational for future crewed missions to the International Space Station.
Also, there is a possibility that the Boeing CST-100 will also launch to the ISS with a crew before the return of Cassidy, Ivanishin, and Vagner.
If Boeing and SpaceX do not successfully qualify either the CST-100 or Crew Dragon, then the staff on the space station could be reduced to the point where almost no science could be conducted on the USOS portion of the ISS.
According to the November 2019 Office of Inspector General report on NASA’S MANAGEMENT OF CREW TRANSPORTATION TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, NASA will likely experience a reduction in the number of USOS crew aboard the ISS from three to one beginning in spring 2020. This reduction in the crew is caused by the schedule delays in the development of Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Coupled with a reduction in the frequency of Soyuz flights there is less crew that can fly to the International Space Station. NASA has successfully ensured access to the ISS by purchasing unused Soyuz seats when four Soyuz vehicles flew per year. Only two Soyuz vehicles are planned for 2020. Astronauts extending their on-Station assignments longer than the standard 6 months will expose astronauts to more significant space-flight-related health concerns.
Crew Dragon Demo-2 a really long test drive.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 flight is still technically considered a test flight and it will be the first time SpaceX flies astronauts to space. To help reduce the risk of crew staffing on the ISS, the duration length of Demo-2 will be longer than originally expected. NASA is looking at extending Demo-2 beyond the original plan of just a few days to the space station and back.
“Depending on when we launch they’re going to be up there for probably two to three months.”
NASA Administrator Bridenstine
Bridenstine has explained that the plan is to bring Behnken and Hurley back before the first scheduled “Crew-1” flight of Crew Dragon. The estimate is currently one month before Crew-1 so that NASA and SpaceX can review the data from the first crewed flight. If all checks out, then NASA would consider Crew Dragon ready for the “first operational” flight. Crew-1 will be the first of at least one mission per year to the ISS for SpaceX.
“We bring them back a month before we’re ready to launch Crew-1 so we can take that month and investigate every part of the crew capsule. So the length of their stay on the ISS is going to be dependent on when the Crew Dragon is ready for Crew-1.”
NASA Administrator Bridenstine
About Cassidy:
Cassidy is a NASA veteran having flown twice before into space. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2004. His prior flights include STS‐127 and Expedition 35.
During STS‐127, Cassidy served as a Mission Specialist. During STS-127, the Space Shuttle delivered the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM‐EF) as well as the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section (ELM‐ES) to the International Space Station.
For his second visit to space, Cassidy and the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano did an unscheduled spacewalk. The unplanned spacewalk was to replace a pump controller box that was thought to be a potential leak. That EVA was cut short when Parmitano had a cooling water leak into his helmet.
Before joining NASA, Cassidy, was a U.S. Navy SEAL, has been deployed twice to the Mediterranean and twice to Afghanistan. He has been the recipient of Bronze Star with combat ‘V’ and Presidential Unit Citation for leading a nine‐day operation at the Zharwar Kili Cave on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.
Prior to expedition 63, Cassidy has accumulated 31 hours, 14 minutes of spacewalk time and 182 days in space. Cassidy is currently scheduled to launch to the ISS on April 9, 2020, as part of the Expedition 63 mission.
About Ivanishin
Russian Cosmonaut Anatoli Alekseyevich Ivanishin is also a veteran to spaceflight. On 29 May 2003, he was selected as a cosmonaut candidate. He began his training on 16 June 2003. After completing the training and earning a rating of “excellent” on 5 July 2005, he passed the cosmonaut qualification.
His first visit to space was to the International Space Station was during Expedition 29 / Expedition 30 crew member, launching in November 2011 and returning in April 2012.
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Ivanishin returned to the International Space Station and was both Soyuz commander of Soyuz MS-01 as well as the Commander of Expedition 49. He launched on 9 July 2016 and docked with the ISS after a two-day rendezvous. During their two-day transit from the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the station, the crew tested a variety of upgraded systems on their Soyuz MS spacecraft. Completing and an additional 115 days in space, Ivanishin’s total flight time now is 280 days.
During this time, Ivanishin was the Commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 49.
About Vagner
The rookie of the group is Ivan Viktorovitch Vagner. Vagner is a Russian Engineer and was selected in October 2010 as a Cosmonaut candidate. After Vagner graduated basic spaceflight training in 2012, he was slated to the crew of ISS Expedition 53/54 however was removed from the flight in September 2016 due to crew cutbacks on the Russian Orbital Segment driven by delays with the launch of the Nauka laboratory module.
About Crew Dragon
Dragon 2 or Crew Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by U.S. aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, intended as the successor to the Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 rocket and return via ocean splashdown. In comparison to the original cargo Dragon spacecraft, Dragon 2 has larger windows, upgraded flight computers and avionics, improved solar arrays, and a modified outer design.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond. The pressurized section of the capsule can carry a mix of both people and environmentally sensitive cargo. Contained within the nose cone are the Draco thrusters, which allow for orbital maneuvering.
Dragon’s trunk not only carries unpressurized cargo but also supports the spacecraft during ascent. The trunk remains attached to Dragon until shortly before reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
- DIAMETER 4m/13ft
- HEIGHT 8.1m/26.7ft
- CAPSULE VOLUME 9.3m3/328ft3
- TRUNK VOLUME 37m3/1300ft3
- LAUNCH PAYLOAD MASS 6,000kg/13,228lbs
- RETURN PAYLOAD MASS 3,000kg/6,614lbs
Prior to arrival
Before the arrival, the departure of the reusable SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is planned for April 6th. Currently, Dragon is being loaded week with thousands of pounds of science experiments and station hardware. Canadarm2 robotic arm will assist in the removal of Dragon from the Harmony module after its hatch is closed early Monday for a planned 9:52 a.m. EDT departure. Recovery teams will be standing by for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean a few hours later.
About The Author
Bill D’Zio
Co-Founder at WestEastSpace.com
Bill founded WestEastSpace.com after returning to China in 2019 to be supportive of his wife’s career. Moving to China meant leaving the US rocket/launch industry behind, as the USA and China don’t see eye to eye on cooperation in space. Bill has an engineering degree and is an experienced leader of international cross-functional teams with experience in evaluating, optimizing and awarding sub-contracts for complex systems. Bill has worked with ASME Components, Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) for use in launch vehicles, satellites, aerospace nuclear, and industrial applications.
Bill provides consulting services for engineering, supply chain, and project management.
