SSEP Mission 15 to the International Space Station (ISS)

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 4, 2023, 10:51 am ET

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the SSEP Mission 15 Skylab payload of experiments are manifested on two launches – SpaceX CRS-22 and CRS-23.

 

Payload Ferry Flights and ISS Crew Data

SpaceX CRS-22 (SpaceX-22): Mission 15A - 2 of 5 experiments

Launch Date: June 3, 2021, 1:29 pm ET (useful reference NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule at nasa.gov)
Crew: none

Launch Site: Launch Complex (LC) 39A, NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL

Berthing at ISS: June 5, 2021, 5:09 am ET

Launch Date History:
Initial Launch Date: NET May 2021
Rescheduled to: NET June 2021
Rescheduled to: June 3, 2021, 1:29 pm ET
Rescheduled to: June 5, 2021, 5:09 am ET

Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: SpaceX CRS-22
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: July 9, 2021
Landing Site: splashdown in Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, off Florida west coast

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 14/15 Payload Operations: Expedition 65 (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov)
Commander Akihiko Hoshide (Japan; Twitter: @Aki_Hoshide); Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei (USA; Twitter: @Astro_Sabot); Oleg Novitskiy (Russia; Twitter: @novitskiy_iss; Instagram: novitskiy_iss); Pyotr Dubrov (Russia); Thomas Pesquet (France; @Thom_astro; Instagram: thom_astro); Shane Kimbrough (USA; Twitter: @astro_kimbrough; Instagram: astro_kimbrough); Megan McArthur (USA; Twitter: @Astro_Megan>; Instagram: astro.megan

SpaceX CRS-23 (SpaceX-23): Mission 15B - 3 of 5 experiments

Launch Date: August 29, 2021, 3:14 am ET (useful reference NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule at nasa.gov)
Crew: 
none
Launch Site: Launch Complex (LC) 39A, NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL

Berthing at ISS: August 30, 2021, 10:30 am ET

Launch Date History:
Initial Launch Date: NET August 2021
Rescheduled to: August 18, 2021
Rescheduled to: August 28, 2021, 3:37 am ET
Rescheduled to: August 29, 2021, 3:14 am ET

Ferry Vehicle for Return to Earth: SpaceX CRS-23
Crew: none
Unberth/Landing Date: September 30, 2021
Landing Site: splashdown in Atlantic, off Florida east coast

Payload Duration on ISS: 4.5 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 14/15 Payload Operations: Expedition 65 (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov)
Commander Akihiko Hoshide (Japan; Twitter: @Aki_Hoshide); Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei (USA; Twitter: @Astro_Sabot); Oleg Novitskiy (Russia; Twitter: @novitskiy_iss; Instagram: novitskiy_iss); Pyotr Dubrov (Russia); Thomas Pesquet (France; @Thom_astro; Instagram: thom_astro); Shane Kimbrough (USA; Twitter: @astro_kimbrough; Instagram: astro_kimbrough); Megan McArthur (USA; Twitter: @Astro_Megan>; Instagram: astro.megan

 

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: 5
5 communities participated in SSEP Mission 15 to ISS: 5 experiments were selected, 1 experiment.for each community

Payload: Suite of Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME – Mark II) Mini-laboratories
Stowage: Nanoracks Express Rack on ISS

History:
The 17th 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:
2 of the 5 Mission 15 experiments launched on SpaceX-22 on June 3, 2021 and returned to Earth on July 9, 2021; the final 3 Mission 15 experiments launched on SpaceX-23 on August 29, 2021 and returned to Earth on September 30, 2021.

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
SSEP Mission 14/15 to ISS: Flight Operations – SpaceX-22
→ SSEP Mission 14/15 to ISS: Experiment Log – SpaceX-22
SSEP Mission 14/15 to ISS: Flight Operations – SpaceX-23
→ SSEP Mission 14/15 to ISS: Experiment Log – SpaceX-23

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.