NASA Sets Briefings for Crew-8, International Space Station Missions

NASA will host a pair of news conferences Thursday, Jan. 25, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight upcoming crew rotation missions to the International Space Station.

A mission overview news conference will begin at 1 p.m. EST and cover NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the microgravity laboratory and Expeditions 70/71. A crew news conference will start at 2:30 p.m., followed by individual astronaut interviews at 3:30 p.m.

Both news conferences will be available on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or NASA app, and will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

The Crew-8 mission, targeted to launch in mid-February, will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos to the space station. NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, scheduled to launch to the space station on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft on March 21, also will participate in the crew briefing and interviews.

For the Crew-8 mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the company’s eighth crew rotation mission for NASA. Dyson will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This event is the final media opportunity to speak to the Crew-8 astronauts before they travel to Kennedy for launch. Media wishing to participate in person or seeking a remote interview with the crew must request credentials no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, from the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov.

Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 9:45 a.m. the day of the event.

Briefing participants include (all times Eastern):

1 p.m.: Mission Overview News Conference

• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Johnson
• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
• Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
• Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos

2:30 p.m.: Crew News Conference

• Tracy Dyson, flight engineer
• Matthew Dominick, spacecraft commander
• Michael Barratt, pilot
• Jeanette Epps, mission specialist
• Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist

3:30 p.m.: Individual Crew Interview Opportunities

• Crew-8 members and Dyson available for a limited number of interviews

More about space station crew

Full crew biographies are linked above. Below are highlights of their spaceflight experience.

NASA selected Tracy C. Dyson as an astronaut in June 1998, and during her previous two flights, she logged more than 188 days in space. Dyson first launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on STS-118 in 2007, serving as a mission specialist. During the mission, the crew added the starboard-5 truss segment to the station’s “backbone” and a new gyroscope. In 2010, Dyson served as flight engineer for Expedition 23/24 and performed three spacewalks, logging 22 hours and 49 minutes outside the station as she helped remove and replace a failed pump module for one of two external ammonia circulation loops that keep internal and external equipment cool.

Matthew Dominick will serve as commander for Crew-8, his first spaceflight after being selected as an astronaut in 2017. During Expedition 70/71 aboard the space station, he will serve as a mission specialist. Follow @dominickmatthew on X.

Michael Barratt is the Crew-8 pilot, making his third visit to the space station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19/20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. Barratt has spent a total of 212 days in space. During Expedition 70/71, he will serve as a mission specialist.

Jeanette Epps was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009 and is a mission specialist aboard Crew-8, her first spaceflight, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 70/71. Follow @Astro_Jeanette on X.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin is flying on his first mission. He will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 70/71.

Learn more about how NASA innovates for the benefit of humanity through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov

Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov