NASA announces four astronauts heading to ISS on SpaceX Crew-14 mission
NASA has revealed the names of the four astronauts who will be heading to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Crew-14 mission, which is set to launch in 2027. The crew includes NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Chris Birch, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Makoto Suwa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan.
Among the four, Barron has already been to the ISS, whereas it will be the first spaceflight for Birch, Suwa, and Kiviryan. After reaching the space station, Crew-14 will become part of Expedition 75/76 and will carry out science experiments during the long-duration mission.
Barron returns to the space station for a second time
Kayla Barron first went to the space station in 2021 during NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission. She launched on November 10, 2021, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Her Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endurance, docked with the ISS the next day. Barron then worked as part of Expedition 66 and Expedition 67. During her 177-day mission, Barron completed two spacewalks and, during another spacewalk, worked as a lead robotics operator. The Crew-3 astronauts also studied plants in microgravity and tested different technologies on the space station.
After spending nearly six months in space, Crew-3 left the ISS on May 5, 2022, and Endurance splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, near Tampa, Florida, the next day. Now, Barron is heading back to the ISS with Crew-14, but this time she will be the spacecraft commander.
A first flight for Birch, after years of supporting other crews
A former U.S. national team track cyclist, Chris Birch was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021 and has spent the last few years training and working around human spaceflight. Before joining NASA, she earned a PhD in biological engineering from MIT and taught at the University of California, Riverside, and Caltech. On the ground at NASA, Birch supported fellow astronauts. She worked as a capsule communicator, supporting crews aboard the ISS and during the Artemis II mission. She was also the crew lead for Expedition 72, where she worked with flight control teams to help manage daily operations. Now, Birch is set to board the ISS herself with Crew-14 as the spacecraft pilot, and it will be her very first spaceflight.
Two first-time flyers join the Crew-14 mission
Makoto Suwa and Arutyun Kiviryan are flying to the ISS for the very first time. In 2023, JAXA selected Suwa as an astronaut candidate, and in 2024, he completed his basic astronaut training. Meanwhile, in 2021, Kiviryan was selected for the Cosmonaut Corps by the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center, and since 2023, he has been working as a test cosmonaut. During the Crew-14 mission, both will be mission specialists. After reaching the ISS, they will also be part of Expedition 75/76.
What Crew-14 will do at the space station
Crew-14 astronauts will carry out scientific experiments and work on technology demonstrations. The main aim of this research is to prepare humans for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The research carried out by the crew while aboard the ISS can sometimes also yield results that benefit people on Earth.
According to NASA, research on the space station, in microgravity, can advance scientific knowledge and lead to research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. Crew-14 is currently targeted to launch to the ISS no earlier than spring 2027. NASA has not announced an exact launch date yet.
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