A new commander has taken charge aboard the ISS as three crew members prepare for their return to Earth—just in time for one astronaut’s 70th birthday.
As the departing crew wraps up research and packs the Soyuz spacecraft, the remaining astronauts get ready to welcome a SpaceX cargo mission packed with science experiments. Meanwhile, two NASA astronauts prepare for a spacewalk to upgrade the station’s systems, and newly arrived cosmonauts jump into research duties ranging from Earth observation to microbiology.
Leadership Changes Aboard the ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) has a new commander as three members of Expedition 72 prepare to return to Earth on Saturday. The remaining crew will soon welcome a U.S. cargo spacecraft and begin preparing for their first spacewalk of the new mission.
On Friday afternoon, Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) assumed command of the station from Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin during a formal change of command ceremony. Onishi will officially lead Expedition 73 once Ovchinin departs the station aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, along with NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner. The spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the Rassvet module at 5:57 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
The returning trio will land in Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT (6:20 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 20), coinciding with Pettit’s 70th birthday. NASA+ will provide live coverage of the farewell, undocking, and landing beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
Last-Minute Research Before Departure
Ovchinin and Vagner had one last research session on Friday with assistance from Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov testing the lower body negative pressure suit. The specialized suit from Roscosmos may prevent space-caused head and eye pressure symptoms and help a crew member adjust to Earth’s gravity quicker. Vagner also wrapped up handing over his crew responsibilities to his fellow cosmonauts while Pettit finished cleaning out his crew quarters. Ovchinin will complete packing the Soyuz crew ship with cargo on Saturday before activating the spacecraft’s systems.
Dragon Cargo Mission Ready for Liftoff
A day-and-a-half later, NASA’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply mission will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying about 6,700 pounds of new science experiments and crew supplies for the Expedition 73 crew. Dragon will launch at 4:15 a.m. EDT on Monday and dock at 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday to the Harmony module’s space-facing port for a month long cargo mission. Onishi and NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim will be on duty Tuesday, monitoring Dragon’s automated arrival and docking. NASA+ will provide live launch and docking coverage of Dragon’s 32nd cargo mission to the orbiting laboratory.
McClain and Ayers Prep for Spacewalk
NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are getting ready for the first spacewalk of Expedition 73 planned for May 1. The duo spent Friday organizing the Quest airlock where their spacewalk will begin and checking their spacesuits’ components and systems. Next, the duo verified the suits’ helmets, boots, and arm and leg assembly fittings. McClain and Ayers will spend six-and-a-half hours in the vacuum of space preparing the station for a new rollout solar array and relocating an antenna that communicates with commercial spacecraft.
Roscosmos Crew Settles In with Science Work
Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky have finished transitioning their new crew responsibilities from their departing crewmates Vagner and Ovchinin. Ryzhikov also spent Friday on life science activities, collecting samples of mold and bacteria for analysi,s while Zubritsky set up and activated Earth observation gear.
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