On April 23, 2021, the Crew-7 mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched four astronauts to space. This mission, which was led by Commander Shane Kimbrough, is a joint mission with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The four astronauts on board the mission are Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet. These individuals have diverse backgrounds and expertise, including expertise in robotics, flight engineering and astrophysics. The mission was launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex-39A pad on an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA). This marks the first time in two decades that the United States has launched astronauts onboard a spacecraft powered by a large Atlas V rocket.
This Crew-7 mission, which began at 5:49 am EDT, will take these astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). On their journey, from launchpad to ISS, they will be accompanied by a robotic spacecraft, named Dragon, which is built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. After docking at ISS, the astronauts will join the Station’s current working crew and will be among a total of 11 professionals currently in space.
Once the Crew-7 mission begins at ISS, the astronauts will focus on conducting experiments that will focus on understanding the effects of low-gravity and will focus on using robotics to complete specific tasks. Additionally, the mission includes various projects such as developing new ways to cultivate food in space and deploying devices that will collect images of Earth.
The mission is set to be concluded after 6 months following the arrival of the Crew-7 mission at the ISS. This major milestone, which followed years of hard work by all the participating agencies, will continue to provide humans a better understanding of the universe and the potential uses of space exploration.
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