Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 😞 NASA and SpaceX delay Crew 7 launch to August 25th.
- 🚀 Delay caused by changing pad configuration from Falcon Heavy to Crew launch setup.
- 🔄 Reaction frame must be switched from Falcon Heavy to Falcon 9 setup.
- 💺 Top of the transporter erector changed from fairing to capsule configuration.
- 🛰️ Crew 7 launch provides more leeway in ISS schedule for other vehicles visiting the station.
- 👩🚀 Crew 7 includes NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (Mission Commander), European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Pilot), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa (Mission Specialist), and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Mission Specialist).
- 🚀 Crew Dragon Endurance will be the spacecraft used for the Crew 7 mission.
- 🛰️ If launched on August 25th, Crew 7 will dock with the ISS on August 26th around 2:45 a.m. ET.
Following the recent delay of the Falcon Heavy launch, NASA and SpaceX have rescheduled the Crew 7 launch to take place on August 25th.
The delay is necessary as the launch pad needs to be reconfigured from its Falcon Heavy setup to a Crew launch configuration. This additional time will allow the ground systems teams to ensure that all preparations are in place for the successful Crew 7 launch.
The process of switching from Falcon Heavy to Falcon 9 setups involves changing the reaction frame at the base of the rockets on the launch pad. The clamps that secure Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 are different and cannot be used interchangeably, making the reconfiguration more involved than a simple rollout and launch after a Falcon Heavy mission.
Another change they need to make is to the top of the transporter erector from a fairing configuration to a capsule configuration. When there is a satellite in a fairing attached the top of the T/E has supports and various power connections running to the rocket and for Crew/Cargo configurations that are removed so the Crew Access Arm has room to swing into place.
The delay also gives NASA more leeway in the International Space Stations schedule for other vehicles visiting the Space Station and provides consecutive launch opportunities if the August 25th attempt is delayed further.
Crew 7 will feature NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (Mission Commander), European Spacey Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Pilot), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa (Mission Specialist), and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Mission Specialist).
The Crew Dragon making this trip will be Crew Dragon Endurance, which most recently flew the Crew 5 mission in March 2023 and has spent ~333 days in space.
If the launch occurs on August 25th, the 4 person crew will dock with the ISS around 2:45 a.m. ET on August 26th following about a 23-hour trip from launch to docking.
