ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen prepares to take command of the International Space Station
20 July 2023
The International Space Station is a high-tech science laboratory that orbits in space, 400km above Earth’s surface. Soon it will have a new commander! ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is set to blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on 15 August 2023 before piloting a Crew Dragon craft all the way to the International Space Station. Flying with him will be Crew-7: NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos astronaut Konstantin Borisov.
Andreas will be on board the International Space Station until early 2024, which will make him the longest serving European commander. “It is a big honour for me to be the next commander of the International Space Station,” says Andreas. “I look forward to taking on the responsibilities and ensure a great stay for all crew members.”
As well as his duties as commander, Andreas will be kept busy with his mission called Huginn, which will involve him conducting over 20 European science experiments. These include taking images of thunder clouds, better understanding how astronauts sleep in space, 3D-printing metal objects, and even controlling a group of robots on Earth!
The name Huginn, chosen by Andreas, comes from Norse mythology – very appropriate, as Andreas is from Denmark! According to the legend, Huginn and Muninn were two ravens, both trusted advisors to the god Odin. Every day at dawn, Odin would instruct them to fly around the world and bring back useful information. This story reminds Andreas of astronauts who travel into space to expand our knowledge!
Cool fact: The Huginn mission has a special mission patch that contains secret information! The raven Huginn is shown flying over the curved horizon of the Earth. The raven’s wing is the shape of Denmark, Andreas’ home country. There are even six stars in a special pattern, representing the Viking symbol for “safe travels”.
