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, 2023, 2:05 pm ET
Payload Ferry Flights and ISS Crew Data
Ferry Vehicle to ISS: TBD – expect SpaceX ferry vehicle
Current Launch Date: TBD – expect late Spring 2024 (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: 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 Atlantic or Pacific 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
ISS Crew for SSEP Mission 18 Payload Operations: Expedition TBD (see Expeditions Schedule at nasa.gov) crew to be listed once closer to launch date
SSEP Mission 18 to ISS: Payload and Program Data
Payload Designation: SSEP20 – Surveyor (named for NASA’s Surveyor Program, which soft-landed 7 spacecraft on the lunar surface in advance of the Apollo Moon landings. Starting with Mission 16 to ISS, SSEP experiment payloads are named for NASA’s robotic lunar exploration programs in advance of the Apollo missions; for SSEP Missions 12 to 15, 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: TBD
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 20th SSEP flight opportunity—SSEP Mission 18 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 2, 2023, with accompanying Video Clips describing SSEP by Center Director, Dr. Jeff Goldstein: Clip 1 (NASA), Clip 2 (NASA)
Current Status:
Interested communities should Contact SSEP by March 31, 2023
A List of Important SSEP Mission 18 to ISS Subpages:
SSEP Mission 18 to ISS: Critical Timeline
SSEP Mission 18 to ISS: Mini-Laboratory Operation
SSEP Mission 18 to ISS: Mission Patch Art and Design Competition