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: February 3, 2020, 11:55 am ET
Payload Ferry Flights and ISS Crew Data
Ferry Vehicle to ISS: TBD – expect SpaceX ferry vehicle
Current Launch Date: TBD – expect late Spring 2021 (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: TBD
Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: TBD – expect SpaceX ferry vehicle
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: TBD
Landing Site: if SpaceX, splashdown off the Pacific or Atlantic Coast
Payload Duration on ISS: nominally 4-6 weeks; expect 4 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; read about theNorthrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket; read about the Soyuz TMA vehicle at nasa.gov
ISS Crew for SSEP Mission 15 Payload Operations: Expedition TBD (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov) crew to be listed once closer to launch date
SSEP Mission 15 to ISS: Payload and Program Data
Payload Designation: SSEP17 – Skylab (named for NASA’s Skylab Program; starting with Mission 12 to ISS, SSEP experiment payloads are 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: TBD
Payload: Suite of Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME – Mark II) Mini-laboratories
Stowage: NanoRacks Express Rack on ISS
History:
The seventeenth SSEP flight opportunity—SSEP Mission 15 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 February 3, 2020, with accompanying Video Clips describing SSEP by Center Director, Dr. Jeff Goldstein: Clip 1 (NASA), Clip 2 (NASA)
Current Status:
As of February 3, 2020: the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education is onboarding Mission 15 communities. All participating communities must be aboard by August 24, 2020.
A List of Important SSEP Mission 15 to ISS Subpages:
SSEP Mission 15 to ISS: Critical Timeline
SSEP Mission 15 to ISS: Mini-Laboratory Operation
SSEP Mission 15 to ISS: Mission Patch Art and Design Competition