SpaceX Mission with crew of four, led by Indian-origin astronaut, docks with International Space Station

A new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts which also included Indian-origin Raja Chari to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the company’s Crew-3 mission has docked successfully at the orbiting lab on November 11, 2021. The crew of four was led by Raja Chair.

NASA said in a statement that NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer arrived at the International Space Station at 6.32 PM EST on November 11.

SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance docked to the orbital complex while the spacecraft was flying 260 miles above the eastern Caribbean Sea.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Mission had lifted off at 9:03 pm on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s third crew rotation mission.

Get your kicks with Expedition 66

Now that #Crew3 has arrived at the @Space_Station, they round out the full roster of seven who make up "Expedition 66." Get to know these @NASA, @ESA & @Roscosmos crewmates and the science they'll do: https://t.co/WaRDnpHxqL pic.twitter.com/oThWgipLjR

— NASA (@NASA) November 12, 2021

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Mission astronauts at ISS: Key details

• Marshburn, Chari, Maurer, Barron will join the Expedition 66 Crew of Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos for a planned 6-month mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory.

• They will help to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate the new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis Program.

• The Crew-3 astronauts will spend approx. 6 months aboard the space station conducting new and exciting scientific research in the areas such as health technologies, material science, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth.

Four new astronauts through the hatch and seven crewmembers total on the @Space_Station!

After almost exactly a day from launch, #Crew3 is aboard the orbiting laboratory. pic.twitter.com/QJoBUsJcsj

— NASA (@NASA) November 12, 2021

NASA’s Crew-3 Mission: Why is it significant?

The Crew-3 mission continues the US Space Agency’s efforts of restoring and maintaining American leadership in human spaceflight.

Regular, long-duration commercial crew rotation missions enable NASA to continue the significant research and technology investigations taking place aboard the station.

Such research also benefits the people on Earth and lays the groundwork for the future exploration of the Moon and Mars, starting with NASA’s Artemis Mission, which also includes landing the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.

Crew-3 Mission: Background

The mission known as Crew-3 is part of NASA’s multibillion-dollar partnership with Elon Musk’s Space company. It was signed after NASA’s Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011. The mission aimed at restoring the US Capacity to carry out Human Spaceflight, rather than depend on Russia for links with the International Space Station (ISS).