International Space Station

The Expedition 73 crew is preparing to welcome the arrival of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and its four astronauts to the International Space Station next week. Station Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers joined each other on Tuesday and reviewed the upcoming private astronaut mission. The station quartet called down to mission managers and discussed Ax-4 operations and station readiness.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:22 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 10, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4. This shift allows teams to account for predicted inclement weather during the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft transport in addition to completing final processing of the spacecraft ahead of launch.

The Expedition 73 crew members are turning their attention to the upcoming fourth private mission from Axiom Space. While the International Space Station crewmates prepare for the Ax-4 quartet’s arrival aboard a SpaceX Dragon they also continued studying how their bodies are adapting to weightlessness in the midst of ongoing lab maintenance duties.

Vein scans and hearing checks were the main human research activities aboard the International Space Station on Friday ensuring the Expedition 73 crew remains healthy. The orbital residents also tested a 3D microscope and kept up the maintenance of the orbital outpost at the end of the week.

Spacesuit and life support maintenance were the main focus on Thursday while the Expedition 73 still had time set aside for space biology research aboard the International Space Station.

Life science was back on the schedule for Wednesday as the Expedition 73 crew studied how living in space affects eye structure and cellular immunity. The International Space Station residents also maintained the upkeep of exercise gear, life support components, and orbital plumbing hardware.

Biomedical research topped the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday helping doctors understand how weightlessness affects the cardiovascular and immunity systems. The Expedition 73 crew members also continued their Earth observation studies, robotic inspections duties, and advanced life support maintenance.

At 1:44 a.m. EDT, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California, marking the return of the company’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

At 12:05 p.m. EDT, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the zenith, or space-facing, port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX. 

NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure of the agency’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission is underway on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.