Expedition 68
Expedition 68 was the 68th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station. The expedition began upon the departure of Soyuz MS-21 on 29 September 2022,[2] with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti taking over as ISS commander,[3] and ended upon the departure of the uncrewed Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on 28 March 2023.
Expedition 68 Crew at ISS | |
| Mission type | Long-duration mission to the ISS |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / Roscosmos |
| Mission duration | 180 days, 2 hours and 23 minutes |
| Expedition | |
| Space station | International Space Station |
| Began | 29 September 2022[1] |
| Ended | 28 March 2023 |
| Arrived aboard | SpaceX Crew-4 Soyuz MS-22 SpaceX Crew-5 Soyuz MS-23 (uncrewed launch) SpaceX Crew-6 |
| Departed aboard | SpaceX Crew-4 SpaceX Crew-5 Soyuz MS-22 (uncrewed landing) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7-11 |
| Members |
|
| EVAs | 6 |
| EVA duration | 41 hours and 51 minutes |
Expedition 68 mission patch Expedition 68 crew portrait (C portion) | |
Background, Crews and Events
Initially, the expedition consisted of Cristoforetti and her three SpaceX Crew-4 crewmates Kjell N. Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and American astronaut, Francisco Rubio, who launched aboard Soyuz MS-22 on September 21, 2022, and were transferred from Expedition 67 alongside the Crew-4 astronauts.
Crew-4 departed the station on 13 October 2022 (splashing down the next day)[4] and was replaced by SpaceX Crew-5 through a direct handover, which ferried NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, as well as JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, to the station. Before departing, Cristoforetti handed command of the station over to Prokopyev.[5]
On December 14, 2022, a coolant leak was discovered on the docked Soyuz MS-22 vehicle causing it to leak ammonia, which forced the cancellation of an imminent Russian spacewalk.[6]
After observation and imaging of the damaged spacecraft, in January 2023, Roscosmos and NASA announced that due to the leak, the MS-22 vehicle could not safely return the crew, except in an emergency. The governing bodies also announced changes to the crew manifest: the Soyuz MS-22 crew remaining on the station for 12 months and the Soyuz MS-22 craft to return uncrewed. The Soyuz MS-23 craft was launched uncrewed in February,[7] and the Soyuz crew will return to Earth on 21 September 2023 on MS-23. The original MS-23 crew was instead to launch on Soyuz MS-24, to work on the station for both Expedition 69 and 70, instead of Expedition 68 and 69. Rubio's seat liner was shifted to Crew 5 and ultimately all Soyuz MS-22 seat liners were shifted to Soyuz MS-23 as seat liner are specifically designed to seat the cosmonaut seat in it. Usually, this seat liner swapping is not new between two Soyuz but first time for Soyuz to Crew Dragon.[8]
In February, on the day of docking for the Progress MS-22/83P vehicle, another Russian craft Progress MS-21/82P, experienced a coolant leak, the second to occur on station in just two months. Due to this, Russian officials on the ground had postponed the uncrewed launch of the Soyuz MS-23 until an investigation was conducted or a cause was found.[9] Days after the leak, it was determined safe to launch Soyuz MS-23, being launched on February 24. Roscosmos conducted a thermal test of MS-22 which lost coolant agent in the external contour due to the damage of the radiator.[10]
In an unrelated change to the US crew manifest, SpaceX's Crew-6 mission launched on 2 March 2023,[11] as opposed to the usual launch date of April/September. Traditionally, Expeditions end with the departure of a Soyuz. This continues with Expedition 68, albeit without crew on board. All onboard crew were transferred to Expedition 69 with the departure of Soyuz MS-22 on 28 March.
Events manifest
Previously: Expedition 67
29 September 2022 - Soyuz MS-21 Departure; Official switch from Expedition 67
6 October 2022 - SpaceX Crew-5 Docking
14 October 2022 - SpaceX Crew-4 Undocking
9 November 2022 - CRS Cygnus NG-18 Capture
9 November 2022 - CRS Cygnus NG-18 Berthing
23 October 2022 - Progress MS-19/80P Undocking
27 October 2022 - Progress MS-21/82P Docking
15 November 2022 - EVA 1 (US-81) 7 hr, 11 mins
17 November 2022 - EVA 2 (VKD-55) 6 hr, 25 mins, Install a MLM outfitting work platform called the SKKO that is, the Nauka Means of attachment of large payloads on Nauka MLM-U module
27 November 2022 - CRS SpX-26 Docking
3 December 2022 - EVA 3 (US-82) 7 hr, 5 mins
3 December 2022 - installed an IROSA at Array 3A
14 December 2022 - Soyuz MS-22 Leak Event, cancelled Russian EVA[12]
22 December 2022 - EVA 4 (US-83) 7 hr, 8 mins
22 December 2022 - installed the fourth IROSA at Array 4A
9 January 2023 - CRS SpX-26 Undocking
17/18 January 2023 - Rubio's seat liner moved from Soyuz MS-22 to Crew-5
20 January 2023 - EVA 5 (US-84) 7 hr, 21 mins
2 February 2023 - EVA 6 (US-85) 6 hr, 41 mins
11 February 2023 - Progress MS-22/83P Docking
11 February 2023 - Progress MS-21 Leak Event
18 February 2023 - Progress MS-21/82P Undocking
26 February 2023 - Soyuz MS-23 Uncrewed Docking
2 March 2023 - Prokopyev and Petelin's seat liner moved from Soyuz MS-22 to Soyuz MS-23
3 March 2023 - SpaceX Crew-6 Docking
6 March 2023 - Rubio's seat liner moved from Crew-5 to Soyuz MS-23
11 March 2023 - SpaceX Crew-5 Undocking
15 March 2023 - Thermal test of Soyuz MS-22 by onboard cosmonauts to check how much it will heat up and whether it can be used for emergency evacuation from the ISS in case of any incident.
16 March 2023 - CRS SpX-27 Docking
28 March 2023 - Soyuz MS-22 Uncrewed Undocking; Official switch to Expedition 69
Next: Expedition 69
Crew
| Flight | Astronaut | Increment 68a | Increment 68b | Increment 68c | Increment 68d | Increment 68e | Transfer date to Exp. 69 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sept-6 Oct 2022 | 6-14 Oct 2022 | 14 Oct 2022-3 Mar 2023 | 3 Mar-11 Mar 2023 | 11 Mar- 28 Mar 2023 | 28 Mar | ||
| Soyuz MS-22/68S (To return on Soyuz MS-23/69S craft) | Sergey Prokopyev, Roscosmos Second spaceflight | Flight Engineer | Commander[13][14] | ||||
| Dmitry Petelin, Roscosmos First spaceflight | Flight Engineer | ||||||
| Francisco Rubio, NASA First spaceflight | Flight Engineer | ||||||
| SpaceX Crew-4 | Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA Second spaceflight | Commander[15] | Off Station | ||||
| Kjell N. Lindgren, NASA Second spaceflight | Flight Engineer | Off Station | |||||
| Bob Hines, NASA First spaceflight | Flight Engineer | Off Station | |||||
| Jessica Watkins, NASA First spaceflight | Flight Engineer | Off Station | |||||
| SpaceX Crew-5 | Nicole Mann, NASA First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | Off Station | |||
| Josh Cassada, NASA First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | Off Station | ||||
| Koichi Wakata, JAXA Fifth spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | Off Station | ||||
| Anna Kikina, Roscosmos First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | Off Station | ||||
| SpaceX Crew-6 | Stephen Bowen, NASA Fourth spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | ||||
| Warren Hoburg, NASA First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | |||||
| Sultan Al Neyadi, MBRSC First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | |||||
| Andrey Fedyaev, Roscosmos First spaceflight | Off Station | Flight Engineer | |||||
Samantha Cristoforetti's mission for ESA on Expeditions 67 and 68 was named Minerva.[16]
Anna Kikina's ride to the station on Crew-5 marked the first time in NASA's Commercial Crew Program that a Russian cosmonaut flew on Dragon, and the first time a Russian (flying for Russia) flew on a US spacecraft in 20 years. [17][18]
Koichi Wakata's flight to the ISS was his fifth, and his first on Dragon. Combined with his previous flights on Soyuz and the Space Shuttle, he becomes the eighth person to fly on three different Earth-launching spacecraft.
Vehicle manifest
| Vehicle | Purpose | Port | Docking/Capture Date | Undocking Date (if during Expedition 68) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicles inherited from Expedition 66 or Expedition 67 | ||||
| Progress MS-19/80P | Russian Cargo | Poisk Zenith | 17 Feb 2022 (Exp. 66) | 23 Oct 2022 |
| SpaceX Crew-4 "Freedom" | Exp. 67/68 USOS Crew | Harmony Zenith | 27 Apr 2022 (Exp. 67) | 14 Oct 2022[19] |
| Progress MS-20/81P | Russian Cargo | Zvezda Aft | 3 Jun 2022 (Exp. 67) | 7 Feb 2023 |
| Soyuz MS-22/68S "Altai" | Exp. 67/68/69 Soyuz Crew Launch | Rassvet Nadir | 21 Sept 2022 (Exp. 67) | 28 Mar 2023 |
| Vehicles docked during Expedition 68 | ||||
| SpaceX Crew-5 "Endurance" | Exp. 68 USOS Crew | Harmony Forward | 6 Oct 2022[20] | 11 Mar 2023 |
| Progress MS-21/82P | Russian Cargo | Poisk Zenith | 28 Oct 2022 | 18 Feb 2023 |
| CRS Cygnus NG-18 "Sally Ride" | US Cargo | Unity Nadir | 9 Nov 2022[21] | Docked |
| CRS Dragon SpX-26 | US Cargo | Harmony Zenith | 27 Nov 2022[22] | 9 Jan 2023[23] |
| Progress MS-22/83P | Russian Cargo | Zvezda aft | 11 Feb 2023 | Docked |
| Soyuz MS-23/69S | Exp. 67/68/69 Soyuz Crew Return | Poisk Zenith | 26 Feb 2023 | Docked |
| SpaceX Crew-6 | Exp. 68/69 USOS Crew | Harmony Zenith | 3 Mar 2023 | Docked |
| CRS Dragon SpX-27 | US Cargo | Harmony Forward | 16 Mar 2023 | Docked |
Notes
- ^ The European portion of SpaceX Crew-4 is called Minerva, which is headed by Samantha Cristoforetti.
References
- ^ "NASA Astronaut, Two Cosmonauts Reach ISS, Expedition 68 to Begin Next Week". 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Expedition 68 Crew Launches to Space Station". 21 September 2022.
- ^ "ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti becomes first European female ISS commander".
- ^ updated, Mike Wall last (2022-10-14). "Watch SpaceX's Crew-4 astronauts return to Earth today after delay". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ updated, Elizabeth Howell last (2022-10-12). "Europe's 1st female space station commander says 'space ninja' crew is ready to come home". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ "Unexplained leak from docked Soyuz spacecraft cancels Russian ISS spacewalk". Reuters. Reuters. 15 December 2022.
- ^ Wattles, Ashley Strickland,Jackie (2023-01-11). "Roscosmos will send replacement spacecraft to return crew to Earth after Soyuz leak". CNN. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ "International Space Station Operations, Soyuz Status Update – Space Station". blogs.nasa.gov. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ "Russia delays launch of replacement for damaged Soyuz crew ship". www.cbsnews.com. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
- ^ Pavlushchenko, Katya [@katlinegrey] (2023-03-15). "Roscosmos announced the thermal test of #SoyuzMS22 which lost coolant agent in the external contour due to the damage of the radiator, but they shared no details. Izvestia talked to their sources in space industry and found out what will happen today" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Twitter.
- ^ Josh Dinner (2023-01-10). "SpaceX and NASA target Crew-6 astronaut launch in mid-February". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
- ^ updated, Robert Z. Pearlman last (2022-12-15). "Soyuz spacecraft suffers 'fairly substantial' leak at space station, cancels spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ "Rubio Primed for Integrated Crew Ops, Cristoforetti, Prokopyev to Command Expedition 68a/b - AmericaSpace". www.americaspace.com. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ Bock, Michael (2017-10-16). "NASA Television Upcoming Events". NASA. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ "Rubio Primed for Integrated Crew Ops, Cristoforetti, Prokopyev to Command Expedition 68a/b - AmericaSpace". www.americaspace.com. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ Agency, European Space (2022-03-28). "Minerva: ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's Second Space Mission". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ Josh Dinner (2022-10-05). "1st Russian cosmonaut to launch with SpaceX heads to space station". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ "Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard U.S. spacecraft for first time since 2002". www.cbsnews.com. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ "Crew-4 undocks from International Space Station, begins journey back to Earth". WESH. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ updated, Josh Dinner last (2022-10-06). "SpaceX's Crew-5 astronaut mission arrives at the International Space Station". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ Navin, Joseph (2022-11-07). "SS Sally Ride Cygnus arrives at ISS on NG-18 mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ Navin, Joseph (2022-11-27). "NASA, SpaceX launch and dock CRS-26 mission to ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ Mike Wall (2023-01-09). "SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule heads home from space station". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.