The International Space Station (ISS) has welcomed three new crew members, expanding the Expedition 69 team to a total of 10 individuals. The hatches between the space station and the newly arrived Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft were opened at 5:16 p.m. EDT, marking the official integration of the new members.
The three newcomers include NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. They joined the existing crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, and Sergey Prokopyev, as well as ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.
Loral O’Hara is set to spend the next six months aboard the ISS, while Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will both endure a year-long stay on the orbital outpost. Their arrival temporarily increases the population on the station, enabling the team to carry out a wide range of scientific experiments and maintenance tasks.
Meanwhile, on September 27, 2022, Rubio, Petelin, and Prokopyev will depart from the ISS on the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft. The trio has been part of the crew since their arrival on September 21 and will be returning to Earth after completing their mission.
To stay updated on the activities taking place at the International Space Station, interested individuals can follow the space station blog, as well as the ISS social media accounts such as Twitter (@space_station and @ISS_Research), Facebook, and Instagram. Additionally, weekly video highlights can be found on the official website.
Sources:
– NASA