The mission will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and the four crew members will join an excursion crew aboard the ISS in Low Earth Orbit. The floating space laboratory is a crucial test bed for overcoming long-duration spaceflight obstacles and expanding commercial recourses in Low Earth Orbit.
For Bowen, who has logged more than 40 days in space during seven spacewalks, this will be his fourth trip to space. Crew-6 will be his first long-duration visit to the ISS. Bowen was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts, US. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the US Naval Academy in Maryland. Bowen was the first submarine officer to be selected as an astronaut by NASA in July 2000.
For Hoburg, who was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2017, this will be his first trip to space. When he was assigned as an astronaut, Hoburg was an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. He also is a commercial pilot with instrument, single-engine, and multi-engine ratings, according to NASA. He is one of NASA’s 18 “Artemis team” astronauts, from whom the agency will appoint the crew for its Artemis 3 mission to return humans to the lunar surface.
SpaceX is asserting to be a reliable private partner for NASA to transport astronauts to space to conduct their research. Commercial companies take the load off of transportation services to Low Earth Orbit to allow NASA to focus on committing its resources to build and designing missions for deep space exploration.