In preparation for the arrival of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA and SpaceX have moved a Dragon cargo spacecraft from its docking port to make room. The Dragon, which had been docked at Harmony module's forward-facing port since March 5, was relocated on May 2, making way for Starliner's docking scheduled for May 6.
The relocation involved NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin undocking from the forward-facing port of the ISS's Harmony module at 7:45 a.m. The Dragon spacecraft then autonomously docked with the module's space-facing port at 8:28 a.m.
This is not the first time such a relocation has taken place on the ISS; previous relocations occurred during Crew-1, Crew-2, and Crew-6 missions. The Dragon spacecraft that was moved in this instance had spent 36 days at the ISS before its departure.
The move frees up Harmony's forward-facing port for Starliner's docking, which will deliver NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station. The Crew Dragon Endeavour, which is currently docked at the zenith port of the Harmony module, will be relocated to make room for Starliner.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission launched on March 3 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and marked the eighth operational crewed mission that SpaceX has flown to the ISS for NASA. The four crewmates of Crew-8, Dominick, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin, will remain aboard the ISS until Crew-9 arrives as early as August.
Boeing aims to have its Starliner spacecraft certified for regular rotational missions as early as next February. The company's first crewed flight test is scheduled for May 6, and it will mark the second crewed mission to the ISS following SpaceX's Crew-8 mission.
