NASA’s SpaceX Crew-14 Mission to Launch Four Astronauts to the ISS in Spring 2027

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-14 mission is scheduled to launch in spring 2027, sending four astronauts from three space agencies to the International Space Station (ISS) for a long-term science expedition.

Meet the SpaceX Crew-14 Astronauts

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Chris Birch will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot. JAXA astronaut Makoto Suwa and Roscosmos astronaut Altun Kibilian will serve as mission specialists.

After docking with the space station, the Crew-14 astronauts will participate in Expeditions 75 and 76. The mission will mark SpaceX’s 14th commercial crew rotation under NASA’s Low Earth Orbit program.

• Kayla Barron — NASA spacecraft commander
• Chris Birch — NASA spacecraft pilot
• Makoto Suwa — JAXA mission specialist
• Altun Kibilian — Roscosmos mission specialist

Science and Technology Goals of Crew-14

During their time aboard the International Space Station, the crew will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations. The work is intended to help prepare humanity for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars while providing benefits to people on Earth.

Kayla Barron’s Spaceflight Experience

Crew-14 will be Kayla Barron’s second flight to the space station. NASA selected her as an astronaut in 2017.

Barron earned a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

A commander in the U.S. Navy, Barron completed three deployments aboard the USS Maine and became certified as a submarine warfighter officer. She first launched to the space station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission in 2021 and spent a total of 177 days in space during her 66th/67th space station mission.

Barron completed two spacewalks and served as lead robotics operator on another. Most recently, she helped develop new technologies and operational concepts for NASA’s Artemis program.

Chris Birch to Make First Spaceflight

Chris Birch was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021. She graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson with degrees in mathematics, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics.

Birch earned a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She later taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Birch also competed as a track cyclist for the U.S. national team and was selected to the Olympic distance team for the 2020 Tokyo Games. She has supported space station crews and the Artemis II mission as a capsule communicator.

She served as the crew leader for Expedition 72, working with the flight control team to help manage day-to-day operations. Birch also served as the crew representative for NASA’s Orion mission, supporting the development and operations of the Artemis II mission.

Crew-14 will be Birch’s first spaceflight.

Makoto Suwa’s First Mission to Space

The Crew-14 mission will also be Makoto Suwa’s first spaceflight. Suwa spent nearly a decade at the World Bank Group before JAXA selected him as an astronaut candidate in 2023.

He previously served in Rwanda as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer and later joined the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. Suwa earned a doctorate in earth science from Princeton University and completed basic training to become certified as an astronaut in 2024.

Altun Kibilian to Make First Space Station Trip

The mission will be Altun Kibilian’s first trip to the International Space Station. He graduated from the Suvorov Military School in St. Petersburg in 2010 and then studied at the Baltic State Technical University.

Kibilian graduated in 2015 as an engineer specializing in rocket science and completed training in operating computer-controlled machinery. Roscosmos selected him to join the cosmonaut corps of the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center in 2021. He has been a test cosmonaut since 2023.

Why the International Space Station Matters

For more than 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station. The orbiting laboratory has advanced scientific knowledge and enabled research that would be impossible on Earth.

The space station will help NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build the foundation for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars through the Artemis program.

For more information about International Space Station research and operations, please see below.

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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected] / [email protected]

Anna Schneider / Mary Pfister
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected] / [email protected]