N° 7–2022: Call for media: accreditation for Crew-4 launch with Samantha Cristoforetti
4 March 2022
NASA has opened media accreditation for the launch of SpaceX Crew-4 to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. This crew includes ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
The launch of the Crew Dragon capsule, on a Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for no earlier than Friday, 15 April. It is the fourth crew rotation flight for Crew Dragon and will see ESA’s Samantha Cristoforetti travel to space for the second time.
During the journey to orbit, Samantha will serve as Mission Specialist alongside three NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Robert Hines and fellow Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins.
Once on board the Space Station, Samantha’s ESA mission, known as ‘Minerva’, will officially begin. Throughout this mission she will serve as USOS Lead, responsible for all operations within the US orbital segment.
This is a long-duration mission, during which Samantha and her Crew-4 crewmates will conduct science, research and operations on the Space Station as members of ISS Expedition 67.
The Crew-4 astronauts are expected to have a brief handover with Crew-3, already on the Station. This includes ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer who was launched to the Station on 11 November 2021 for his Cosmic Kiss mission. Crew-3 is scheduled to return to Earth in late April.
ESA will not be organising a media trip on this occasion. However, a limited number of international media are welcome to attend the launch in Florida. Media accreditation and any questions should be directed to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Full details
Media accreditation deadlines for Crew-4 are as follows (all times CET):
- International media without US citizenship must apply by 21:00 Sunday, 13 March.
- US media must apply by 21:00 Sunday, 20 March.
All accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
COVID-19 safety protocols for this event will be communicated closer to the date of the event. For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
If you have special logistical requests, such as space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections, please send your request to: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov by Friday, 1 April.
For other questions, please contact Kennedy’s newsroom: at 321-867-2468.
Social media
Follow ESA on:
Twitter: @esa @esaspaceflight, @AstroSamantha
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency
YouTube: ESA
Further information
Information on the Minerva mission:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Minerva
Latest updates on the Exploration blog:
https://blogs.esa.int/exploration/category/astronauts/samantha-cristoforetti/
Images
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images
https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrosamantha/
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images
For questions or more information related to ESA images, please email: spaceinimages@esa.int
Videos
Video B-roll of Samantha training for the Minerva mission is available on ESA’s videos for professionals:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2021/06/Samantha_Cristoforetti_training_B-Rolls
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions
For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please email: spaceinvideos@esa.int
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with five Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int
For further information:
ESA Newsroom and Media Relations Office – Ninja Menning
Email: media@esa.int
Tel: +31 71 565 6409