NASA names SpaceX Crew-14 astronauts for spring 2027 space station mission

NASA has announced the crew for SpaceX Crew-14, the commercial crew rotation mission that will follow Crew-13 to the International Space Station. The agency said on September 24, 2026, that the four-person crew will launch no earlier than spring 2027.

The crew

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron will serve as commander, and NASA astronaut Chris Birch will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Makoto Suwa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan, according to NASA.

After docking, the crew will join the station's Expedition 75/76. "The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and to benefit people on Earth," NASA said.

Who they are

For Barron, Crew-14 will be a second spaceflight. NASA says she was selected as an astronaut in 2017. She previously launched on Crew-3 in 2021, spending 177 days in space across Expeditions 66 and 67 and completing two spacewalks. Barron holds a bachelor's degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cambridge, and NASA describes her as a U.S. Navy commander qualified in submarine warfare.

Birch will be making a first spaceflight. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Birch has served as a capsule communicator supporting crews aboard the space station, according to NASA. The agency lists degrees in mathematics and biochemistry from the University of Arizona and a doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suwa will also be flying for the first time. JAXA selected Suwa as an astronaut candidate in 2023, and Suwa completed basic astronaut training in 2024, NASA said. Suwa holds a doctorate in geosciences from Princeton University and worked for nearly a decade with the World Bank Group and the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.

Kiviryan will be visiting the space station for the first time. NASA says Kiviryan was selected for the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in 2021, has served as a test cosmonaut since 2023, and graduated from Baltic State Technical University in 2015 with a specialization in rocket science.

Why it matters

Crew rotation flights keep the space station staffed. Crew-14 comes after NASA's Crew-13 mission, which was cleared to launch on October 1, 2026. Naming the crew now gives the four members time to train for their mission before the planned spring 2027 launch.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.