Information to be determined is in RED TEXT below.
Information that is subject to change is in GREEN TEXT below.
Last update of this page: March 29, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
SpaceX CRS-21 (SpX-21) was the vehicle designated by NASA to carry the Apollo payload of 33 Mission 14 experiments to ISS. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and problems identified with experiment samples close to the launch, 6 of the 33 Mission 14 experiments were manifested on later launches – SpaceX CRS-22 and CRS-23.
Payload Ferry Flights and ISS Crew Data
Ferry Vehicle to ISS:
SpaceX CRS-21 (SpX-21): Mission 14A - 27 of 33 experiments
Launch Date: December 6, 2020 at 11:17 am ET (useful reference NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule at nasa.gov)
Crew: none
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Berthing at ISS:
December 7, 2020 at 1:40 pm ET: Cargo Dragon 2 docked with the Harmony module of ISS
December 8, 2020 at 4:00 am ET: SSEP Apollo payload unpacked from Cargo Dragon and transferred to ISS
Launch Date History:
Initial Launch Date: August 5, 2020
Rescheduled to: NET October 30, 2020
[9/3/20 Confirmed by Nanoracks] Rescheduled to : NET November 15, 2020
[10/5/20 Confirmed by Nanoracks] Rescheduled to: November 22, 2020
[10/13/20 Confirmed by Nanoracks] Rescheduled to: December 2, 2020
[11/19/20 Confirmed by Nanoracks] Rescheduled to: December 5, 2020
Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: SpaceX CRS-21
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: January 12, 2021 (undock from ISS)/January 13, 2021 (return to Earth)
Landing Site: splashdown off the coast of Florida
Payload Duration on ISS: 5 weeks
Notable: Visit the NASA ISS website for a comprehensive overview of ISS construction, on-orbit research, operations, crews, and multimedia galleries; read about the SpaceX Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft at nasa.gov.
ISS Crew for SSEP Mission 14 Payload Operations: Expedition 64 (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov)
Commander Sergey Ryzhikov (Russia); Flight Engineers Kate Rubins (USA), Michael Hopkins (USA; Twitter: @Astro_illini ); Victor Glover (USA; Twitter: @VicGlover); Shannon Walker (USA); Soichi Noguchi (JAXA; Twitter: @Astro_Soichi); Sergey Ryzhikov
SpaceX CRS-22 (SpX-22): Mission 14B - 3 of 33 experiments
Current Launch Date: June 3, 2021 at TBD (useful reference NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule at nasa.gov)
Crew: none
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Berthing at ISS: 1 to 4 days after launch
Launch Date History:
Initial Launch Date: NET May 2021
Rescheduled to: NET June 2021
[3/2021 Confirmed by Nanoracks] Rescheduled to : June 3, 2021
Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: SpaceX CRS-22
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: TBD
Landing Site: splashdown off the coast of Florida
Payload Duration on ISS: 4-6 weeks
Notable: Visit the NASA ISS website for a comprehensive overview of ISS construction, on-orbit research, operations, crews, and multimedia galleries; read about the SpaceX Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft at nasa.gov.
ISS Crew for SSEP Mission 14/15 Payload Operations: TBD (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov)
Expedition and crew to be listed once closer to launch date
SpaceX CRS-23 (SpX-23): Mission 14C - 2 of 33 experiments
Current Launch Date: August 18, 2021 at TBD (useful reference NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule at nasa.gov)
Crew: none
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Berthing at ISS: 1 to 4 days after launch
Launch Date History:
Initial Launch Date: NET August 2021
Rescheduled to: August 18, 2021
Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: SpaceX CRS-23
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: TBD
Landing Site: splashdown off the coast of Florida
Payload Duration on ISS: 4-6 weeks
Notable: Visit the NASA ISS website for a comprehensive overview of ISS construction, on-orbit research, operations, crews, and multimedia galleries; read about the SpaceX Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft at nasa.gov.
ISS Crew for SSEP Mission 14/15 Payload Operations: TBD (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov)
Expedition and crew to be listed once closer to launch date
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Payload and Program Data
Payload Designation: SSEP16 – Apollo (named for NASA’s Apollo Program)
Starting with Mission 12 to ISS, SSEP experiment payloads were named for NASA human spaceflight programs; for SSEP Missions 5 to 11, experiment payloads were named for Apollo Command Modules; prior to Mission 5, payloads were named for Apollo Lunar Modules.
Number of Student Team Flight Experiments: 33
32 communities are participating in SSEP Mission 14 to ISS with 1 community flying 2 experiments and 32 communities flying 1 experiment.
Payload: Suite of Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME – Mark II) Mini-laboratories
Stowage: Nanoracks Express Rack in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM; also nicknamed Kibo) on ISS
History: The sixteenth SSEP flight opportunity—SSEP Mission 14 to the International Space Station—was announced by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education on March 22, 2019, with accompanying Video Clips describing SSEP by Center Director, Dr. Jeff Goldstein: Clip 1 (NASA), Clip 2 (NASA)
Current Status: (as of March 2021) 27 of 33 experiments launched to the ISS on December 6, 2020 and returned to Earth on January 13, 2021. 3 of the remaining 6 experiments are scheduled for launch on SpaceX-22 in June 2021, and 2 of the final 3 experiments are scheduled for launch on SpaceX-23 in August 2021. The final experiment is in the process of working through COVID-19 delays in order to confirm a flight.
A List of Important SSEP Mission 14 to ISS Subpages:
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Critical Timeline
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Mini-Laboratory Operation
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Mission Patch Art and Design Competition
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Flight Operations – SpaceX-21
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Flight Operations – SpaceX-22
SSEP Mission 14 to ISS: Flight Operations – SpaceX-23