At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos are preparing for launch to the International Space Station. Their six-month journey will begin with a lift off in a Soyuz spacecraft at 5:26 p.m. EDT Friday, March 18 (3:26 a.m. on March 19 in Baikonur).
NASA Television will broadcast launch coverage live beginning tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. For the NASA TV schedule and where to watch live and replays, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
The incoming crew will join Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineers Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos. A separate trio returned to Earth on March 1, including one-year mission crewmates NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos as well as cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. Kelly and Kornienko completed a historic 340-day mission aboard the station.
Below is the launch timeline for the crew in EDT:
March 18
11:26 a.m. Crew departs Cosmonaut Hotel (L-6)
11:41 a.m. Batteries installed in booster
12:11 p.m. Crew arrives at Site 254
12:26 p.m. Tanking begins
12:56 p.m. Crew suit up
12:21 p.m. Booster loaded with liquid oxygen
1:56 p.m. Crew meets family members on other side of the glass
2:21 p.m. First and second stage Oxygen fueling complete
2:26 p.m. Crew walkout from 254 and boards bus for the launch pad (L-3)
2:31 p.m. Crew departs for launch pad (Site 1)
2:51 p.m. Crew arrives at launch pad (Site 1)
3:01 p.m. Crew boards Soyuz; strapped in to the Descent module
3:51 p.m. Descent module hardware tested
4:06 p.m. Hatch closed; leak checks begin
4:26 p.m. Launch vehicle control system prep; gyro activation (L-1)
4:30 p.m. NASA TV Launch Coverage Begins
4:40 p.m. NASA TV: Crew pre-launch activities played (B-roll)
4:41 p.m. Pad service structure components lowered
4:42 p.m. Clamshell gantry service towers retracted
4:49 p.m. Suit leak checks begin; descent module testing complete
4:52 p.m. Emergency escape system armed
5:11 p.m. Suit leak checks complete; escape system to auto
5:16 p.m. Gyros in flight readiness and recorders activated
5:19 p.m. Pre-launch operations complete
5:20 p.m. Launch countdown operations to auto; vehicle ready
5:21 p.m. Commander’s controls activated
5:22 p.m. Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
5:23 p.m. ISS FLIES OVER THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
5:23 p.m. Propellant drainback
5:23 p.m. Booster propellant tank pressurization
5:25 p.m. Ground propellant feed terminated
5:25 p.m. Vehicle to internal power
5:26 p.m. First umbilical tower separates
Auto sequence start
5:26 p.m. Ground umbilical to third stage disconnected
5:26 p.m. Second umbilical tower separates
5:26 p.m. Launch command issued
Engine Start Sequence Begins
5:26 p.m. Engine turbopumps at flight speed
5:26 p.m. Engines at maximum thrust
5:26 p.m. Launch of SOYUZ TMA-20M to the ISS
10:30 p.m. Docking Coverage Begins on NASA TV
11:11 p.m. Docking to the ISS
MARCH 19
12:30 a.m. Hatch opening coverage begins on NASA TV
12:55 a.m. Hatch opens
To learn more about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs-stage-old.nasawestprime.com/spacestation/. To join the online conversation about the International Space Station, follow @Space_Station.