Meet the Astronauts: NASA and SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

(Updated: November 13, 2020)

Learn about the four astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Mission that will launch to the ISS on November 15 at 7:27P ET as the first crewed operational flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft!

Plus, watch it live on SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: CREW-1 LIFT OFF starting at 5P ET on Discovery and Science Channel or stream it live on Discovery GO.

November 09, 2020

By: Alexia Rosenfield

Show: SPACE LAUNCH LIVE

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Photo By: NASA/JSC/James Blair

Photo By: NASA/JSC/Robert Markowitz

Photo By: NASA/JSC

Photo By: SpaceX

Photo By: SpaceX/NASA

Photo By: SpaceX/NASA/ISS

Photo By: NASA/ISS

NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts

Mission specialist Shannon Walker, left, pilot Victor Glover, Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins – all of NASA – and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, right, will launch to the International Space Station on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Crew Dragon Commander Michael Hopkins (Colonel, U.S. Air Force) NASA Astronaut

Michael S. Hopkins was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. This will be his second-long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Previously, Hopkins was member of the Expedition 37/38 crew and has logged 166 days in space. He launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station in September 2013. During his stay aboard the station, he conducted two spacewalks.

Pilot Victor Glover (Commander, U.S. Navy) NASA Astronaut

Victor J. Glover, Jr. was selected as an astronaut in 2013. In 2015, he completed Astronaut Candidate Training, including scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. This will be his first mission aboard the International Space Station.

Mission Specialist Shannon Walker (PH.D) NASA Astronaut

Shannon Walker was selected by NASA in 2004 as part of the 19th class of astronauts. This will be her second-long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Previously, Dr. Walker launched and served as Flight Engineer of Russian Soyuz spacecraft, TMA-19, on June 15, 2010 to the ISS. Dr. Walker was the robotics operator during the three contingency spacewalks. She again served as a Flight Engineer during landing, which occurred November 25, 2010.

Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi, JAXA Astronaut

Soichi Noguchi was selected as an astronaut candidate by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA, currently Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in May 1996 and joined NASDA in June 1996. He completed two years of Astronaut Candidate Training at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), and was qualified for flight assignments aboard the space shuttle as a Mission Specialist (MS) in April 1998. He has logged a total of 177 days 3 hours 5 minutes in space including the STS-114 and ISS Expedition 22/23 missions. On the STS-114 mission, he conducted three Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) as a lead spacewalker (EV1) and became the first Japanese astronaut to perform EVAs on the ISS.

Inside The Clean Room: SpaceX's Crew Dragon of the Crew-1 Mission

The Crew Dragon spacecraft that will be used for the Crew-1 Mission undergoes processing inside the clean room at SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Ready For Launch From Launchpad 39A

The Crew Dragon spacecraft will be positioned on top of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 launch as seen here of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon In Space

This is a photo from NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Mission of Crew Dragon before docking with the ISS. The Crew Dragon of NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 Mission will follow the same docking procedure on November 16.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Docked at the ISS

The SpaceX Crew Dragon (center right) of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Mission, the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle-9 resupply ship (center bottom) and Europe's Columbus laboratory module figure prominently in this photo taken during a spacewalk conducted by astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy. All three are attached to the U.S. Harmony module with the International Docking Adapter on top. The Crew Dragon of NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 Mission will follow the same protocol.

The International Space Station

Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Shannon Walker, and mission specialist Soichi Noguchi will spend about 6 months aboard the ISS.