Former CIA Officer Jeanette Epps Set to Finally Launch into Space with NASA and SpaceX
NASA has officially announced that astronaut Jeanette Epps will be launching into space in early 2024 on a SpaceX flight to the International Space Station (ISS). This comes six years after Epps was pulled from her first planned spaceflight, just months before her scheduled launch on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS.
Epps’ removal from the mission in 2018 left many questioning the reasons behind NASA’s decision, as it was not due to medical concerns as typically seen in such cases. Speculation arose, with some suggesting that Epps may have been removed for political or racial reasons, as she would have been the first black astronaut to undertake a long-duration mission on the station. However, reports indicate that this was not the case.
Now, NASA has assigned Epps to its Crew-8 mission, set to launch in February 2024 and last approximately six months in orbit. She will serve as a mission specialist and flight engineer, performing maintenance and scientific research on the space station.
Commander Matthew Dominick, a former US Navy test pilot, has been named as the commander of the Crew-8 mission, while veteran astronaut Michael Barrett will be the pilot of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Epps will be joined by rookie Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin on this historic mission.
After being removed from the Soyuz mission in 2018, Epps returned to NASA’s astronaut training base in Houston, patiently waiting for another assignment. Expressing her disappointment at the time, Epps stated that she passed all necessary training and had no medical or family issues that would impede her ability to fly.
NASA had made Epps eligible for future flight assignments not long after her removal from the Soyuz crew. Initially, she was added to the crew roster for Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule mission. However, due to ongoing delays in the Starliner program, NASA reassigned her to train for a SpaceX launch instead.
Epps is the only member of NASA’s 2009 astronaut class who has not yet flown in space. While some of her classmates have already flown twice, she has patiently awaited her turn. She was originally scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, but a barter agreement between NASA and Russia’s space agency led to a Russian cosmonaut taking her place.
Now, Epps finally has the opportunity to fulfill her dream of going to space with the Crew-8 mission. This mission will replace the crew currently in training for the Crew-7 mission, who are set to launch no earlier than August 25. With her expertise as a former CIA technology intelligence officer and extensive training as an astronaut, Epps is poised to make valuable contributions to scientific research and advancements during her time on the ISS.