Expedition 61

Expedition 61
Mission	Expedition 61
Mission type	Long-duration mission to International Space Station
Operator	NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, CSA
Mission duration	November 2019 – February 2020
Crew size	Six
Crew	Oleg Skripochka; Jessica Meir; Christina Koch; Alexander Skvortsov; Luca Parmitano; Andrew Morgan
Space station	International Space Station
Launch vehicle	Soyuz MS-15; Soyuz MS-13 (return)
Launch site	Baikonur Cosmodrome

Expedition 61 Expedition 61 was a long-duration crewed mission aboard the International Space Station that operated from November 2019 to February 2020. The expedition involved multinational collaboration among NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA personnel and supported a broad science manifest, station maintenance, and international logistics operations. Command and crew rotations overlapped with several visiting vehicles and space agencies, linking operations to programs such as Commercial Crew Program, Soyuz (spacecraft), Dragon 2, Progress (spacecraft), and HTV.

Crew and participants

The flight crew comprised six principal members drawn from prominent flight programs: Oleg Skripochka (commander) representing Roscosmos; Jessica Meir (flight engineer) and Christina Koch (flight engineer) representing NASA; Alexander Skvortsov (flight engineer) of Roscosmos; Luca Parmitano (flight engineer) of ESA; and Andrew Morgan (flight engineer) of NASA. The crew worked alongside visiting crew members from missions such as Soyuz MS-12, Soyuz MS-13, and Soyuz MS-15, and coordinated with ground teams at MCC‑Moscow, Johnson Space Center, European Astronaut Centre, Tsukuba Space Center, and Canadian Space Agency facilities. Support came from hardware partners including Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, RKK Energia, and Arianespace supply contractors.

Mission objectives

Primary objectives included maintaining continuous habitation of the International Space Station, conducting human research in microgravity for programs linked to Mars mission planning, improving life‑support systems such as components developed with Thales Alenia Space, and delivering cargo logistics via Progress MS vehicles and commercial resupply missions including those by SpaceX Dragon and Northrop Grumman Cygnus. Scientific objectives spanned physiology experiments connected to Human Research Program, materials science tied to European Space Agency investigations, and atmospheric studies related to NOAA and JAXA remote sensing campaigns. The expedition also supported technology demonstrations for future exploration initiatives under frameworks like Artemis program and cooperative projects with Roscosmos on orbital operations.

Timeline and key events

Expedition milestones began with handover operations following undocking of a prior Soyuz, transitional command exchanges at the International Space Station and culminated with crew return activities in February 2020. Key events included multiple extravehicular activities coordinated with NASA EVA procedures and Roskosmos EVA planning, arrival and departure of cargo vehicles including Progress MS-14, and integration of payloads launched on Cygnus NG-13 and SpaceX CRS-19. The expedition coincided with notable ground‑side events such as flight controller rotations at Johnson Space Center and mission planning sessions at European Space Agency centers. Scientific campaign milestones included deployment and operation of instruments associated with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and European Space Research and Technology Centre teams.

Launch and spacecraft

Crew launched aboard Soyuz MS-15 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, a historic launch complex integral to crewed Soyuz operations originally developed by Soviet space program entities such as OKB-1 and later managed by RKK Energia. The expedition used the Soyuz (spacecraft) series for crew transport and docked to the Rassvet module and later exchanged docking positions between Poisk module and Zvezda (ISS module). Supply and logistics were supported by visiting vehicles including Progress (spacecraft), SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus, and concepts derived from HTV (H-II Transfer Vehicle). Ground infrastructure at Baikonur Cosmodrome and flight support from Roscosmos, NASA launch teams, and European launch support centers were essential to launch and return operations.

Scientific experiments and payloads

The expedition carried a diverse payload manifest: human physiology studies such as investigations supported by Human Research Program partners and experiments involving radiation dosimetry from NASA Johnson Space Center and European Space Agency specialists; plant growth and life‑science payloads related to Veggie (plant growth system) and projects from JAXA; materials science payloads associated with Materials International Space Station Experiment heritage and European materials programs from ESA; Earth observation instruments coordinated with NOAA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and JAXA; and technology demonstrations including prototype hardware developed by Thales Alenia Space and experiments supporting Deep Space Gateway concepts. Biomedical payloads linked to long‑duration health studies were contributed by institutions such as Mayo Clinic collaborators and European Molecular Biology Laboratory teams.

Mission operations and station activities

Daily operations included life‑support maintenance on systems derived from Zvezda (ISS module) and Destiny (ISS module) heritage, payload operations scheduled by NASA Payload Operations Center and European Space Agency payload coordinators, and robotics tasks utilizing the Canadarm2 operated by crew coordinated with Canadian Space Agency. Maintenance and cargo transfers involved coordination with Mission Control Center (MCC-Moscow), Johnson Space Center, and international partners at Tsukuba Space Center and European Astronaut Centre. Crew conducted extravehicular activities planned with NASA EVA and Roscosmos EVA procedures, stowage operations tied to International Docking Adapter integration concepts, and outreach events engaging institutions like Smithsonian Institution and universities participating in STEM programs.

Legacy and significance

The expedition contributed to continuity of human presence aboard the International Space Station, advanced human research informing Mars mission planning and long‑duration exploration architecture, and maintained operational readiness for international collaboration among NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. Outcomes fed into policy and technical assessments at organizations such as European Space Agency and NASA for future programs including Artemis program and commercial LEO initiatives like Commercial Crew Program. Scientific returns enriched data repositories at NASA Johnson Space Center and European Space Research and Technology Centre and influenced ongoing research by institutions such as University of Colorado Boulder, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and German Aerospace Center. The mission underscored the resilience of multinational partnerships exemplified by the International Space Station partnership and informed subsequent missions and vehicle operations across participating agencies.

Category:International Space Station expeditions