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The gantry arms close
around the Soyuz MS-15 rocket after it was raised into vertical position on the
launch pad on Monday. Liftoff to ISS slated for Sept. 25, 2019 from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit:
NASA/Bill Ingalls
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Ken
Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM – 23 September 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Tons of cargo and a trio of crewmembers are set to launch back to back to the International Space Station (ISS) this week a day apart on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 on a pair of critical high profile missions from Japan and Russia - making for a hugely busy week of space action!
First up is the launch of Japan’s H-II Transport Vehicle-8 (HTV-8) cargo craft on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 12:05 p.m. EDT from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on a mission to replenish supplies for the multinational crew aboard International Space Station crew.
The HTV-8 resupply mission from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was delayed from early this month following an unexpected late in the countdown launch pad fire on Sept. 11 that occurred near an exit hole on the mobile launch platform.
Next up is the launch of Russia’s Soyuz MS-15 crew ship on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9:57 a.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with three new crewmates.
Russia has already rolled out the Soyuz rocket and Soyuz MS-15 spaceship early today Monday, Sept 23, from its processing facility in Kazakhstan.
The rocket is now standing vertical at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
NASA TV will broadcast all mission activities for both launches live.
The MS-15 crew comprises two Expedition 61 crewmates, Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos. They will lift off aboard the Soyuz with spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
The Soyuz trio will reach the orbiting lab less than six hours later and dock to the Zvezda service module at 3:45 p.m Sept. 25.
The new trio will join the current six person Expedition 60 crew already on board – making for a rare nine person station crew for a little over one week.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Tons of cargo and a trio of crewmembers are set to launch back to back to the International Space Station (ISS) this week a day apart on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 on a pair of critical high profile missions from Japan and Russia - making for a hugely busy week of space action!
First up is the launch of Japan’s H-II Transport Vehicle-8 (HTV-8) cargo craft on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 12:05 p.m. EDT from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on a mission to replenish supplies for the multinational crew aboard International Space Station crew.
The HTV-8 resupply mission from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was delayed from early this month following an unexpected late in the countdown launch pad fire on Sept. 11 that occurred near an exit hole on the mobile launch platform.
Next up is the launch of Russia’s Soyuz MS-15 crew ship on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9:57 a.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with three new crewmates.
Russia has already rolled out the Soyuz rocket and Soyuz MS-15 spaceship early today Monday, Sept 23, from its processing facility in Kazakhstan.
The rocket is now standing vertical at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
NASA TV will broadcast all mission activities for both launches live.
The MS-15 crew comprises two Expedition 61 crewmates, Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos. They will lift off aboard the Soyuz with spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
The Soyuz trio will reach the orbiting lab less than six hours later and dock to the Zvezda service module at 3:45 p.m Sept. 25.
The new trio will join the current six person Expedition 60 crew already on board – making for a rare nine person station crew for a little over one week.
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The six-member
Expedition 60 crew from the United States, Russia and Italy gathers for a
portrait inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. At the top
from left, are NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander
Skvortsov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, station
commander Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and NASA astronauts Christina Koch and
Nick Hague
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The current multinational
Expedition 60 crew comprises NASA
astronaut Andrew Morgan, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, ESA (European
Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, station commander Alexey Ovchinin of
Roscosmos and NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague.
The HTV-8 cargo freighter named Kounotori from
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is packed with over four tons of crew
supplies, station hardware and new science experiments.
After a five day trip it will arrive at the station
Saturday.
This is the 8th HTV resupply ship to launch to the ISS. Among the cargo are six new Lithium-ion batteries that will be swapped out for old nickel-hydrogen batteries as part of the ISS power supply system during astronaut spacewalks in October.
Japan’s H-2B rocket from prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries stands stands 186-feet-tall (56.6-meters).
“NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan will capture Kounotori with the Canadarm2 robotic arm around 7:15 a.m. Ground controllers will then take over and remotely install the Japanese resupply ship to the Harmony module about three hours later,” says NASA.
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The Japanese Space
Agency (JAXA) developed an uncrewed cargo transfer craft, called the H-II
Transfer Vehicle (HTV), to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.
This image shows the HTV-7 resupply ship after its release from the Canadarm2
robotic arm as the space station orbited above the Pacific Ocean some 311 miles
west of Baja California. Credits: NASA
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This is the 8th HTV resupply ship to launch to the ISS. Among the cargo are six new Lithium-ion batteries that will be swapped out for old nickel-hydrogen batteries as part of the ISS power supply system during astronaut spacewalks in October.
Japan’s H-2B rocket from prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries stands stands 186-feet-tall (56.6-meters).
“NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan will capture Kounotori with the Canadarm2 robotic arm around 7:15 a.m. Ground controllers will then take over and remotely install the Japanese resupply ship to the Harmony module about three hours later,” says NASA.
Watch for Ken’s
continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin,
Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy
Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight
Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
………….
Ken’s photos are for
sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Oct 15: AIAA, Columbia, SC. Details upcoming
“Exploring Mars and the Search for life – 3D” – Learn all about NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover illustrated with Ken’s custom created Mars rover panoramas from Curiosity, Spirit and Opportunity and up close clean room and launch pad views.
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Oct 15: AIAA, Columbia, SC. Details upcoming
“Exploring Mars and the Search for life – 3D” – Learn all about NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover illustrated with Ken’s custom created Mars rover panoramas from Curiosity, Spirit and Opportunity and up close clean room and launch pad views.
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