ISS Executes Engine Maneuver to Avoid Space Junk While Anticipating Incoming Supplies

The crew of Expedition 69 on the International Space Station (ISS) is expecting cargo delivery from Roscosmos as well as the SpaceX Crew-7 mission launch. In the midst of these developments, they have been conducting research on gene therapy and making preparations for the arrival of new crew members. Furthermore, a precautionary maneuver was executed to evade any space debris in orbit, a move that will not impede the planned missions. (Image of Earth taken from the International Space Station.) Credit: NASA

Late on Thursday night, the Expedition 69 crew at the ISS will welcome a space delivery, and a fresh crew is on the verge of launching to the station. During the lead-up to both missions, time was allocated for gene therapy research and maintenance work in the laboratory.

Roscosmos Progress 85 Cargo Arrival

Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, both cosmonauts, are tasked with overseeing the automated docking of Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft, scheduled for 11:50 p.m. EDT. They spent the morning practicing on the TORU (telerobotically operated rendezvous unit) for remote control of the arriving spacecraft in the rare case that automatic docking might fail. The Progress 85 is laden with three tons of essentials such as food, fuel, and other supplies, which the two cosmonauts will start to unpack roughly two hours post-arrival. This space cargo vessel will be docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port for a half-year of cargo-related operations.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bearing the company’s Dragon spacecraft was spotted at dusk on August 22, 2023, positioned on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A while preparations are underway for the Crew-7 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission constitutes the seventh crew rotation endeavor involving the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS within the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

SpaceX Crew-7 Launch and Arrival

A mere 4 hours subsequent to the resupply craft’s docking, the SpaceX Crew-7 mission was planned for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the orbital laboratory. However, this launch has been postponed. The launch of the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft, with four Commercial Crew members aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, is now scheduled for 3:27 a.m. on Saturday.

ISS Preparations for Crew-7 Arrival

Endurance, led by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and including Pilot Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov, is planned to dock automatically to the Harmony module’s space-facing port roughly 24 hours after launch. Approximately two hours afterward, the quartet will enter the station, meet the Expedition 69 crew, and embark on a six-month research mission in microgravity.

Biotechnology Research Ongoing at ISS

Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, both representing NASA, alongside Sultan Alneyadi from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), have been preparing for Saturday’s Crew-7 arrival by configuring the station for the four new crew members. Bowen has organized emergency equipment in the orbital lab’s U.S. segment, which is standard practice prior to new crew arrival. Hoburg has prepared new crew quarters in the Columbus laboratory module, while Alneyadi has configured computer systems inside the cupola to monitor Dragon Endurance’s arrival on Saturday morning.

During these preparation activities, NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio devoted his attention to biotechnology research. He treated cell samples to explore methods of accurately replicating the environment of the human central nervous system and brain for the Neuronix investigation. The findings could pave the way for researchers to identify new treatment options for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Safety Maneuvers at the ISS

On Thursday, August 24, the engines of the ISS’s Zvezda service module were activated for 21.5 seconds starting at 11 a.m. EDT. This action was taken to shift the complex away from the anticipated path of a fragment of orbital debris. This maneuver will not interfere with the arrival of the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo vessel or the upcoming launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.

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More about ISS Expedition 69

• International Space Station (ISS)
• SpaceX Crew-7 Mission
• Roscosmos
• NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• European Space Agency (ESA)
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
• Biotechnology Research at ISS