Month: March 2019

The Demo-1 uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s inaugural flight with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is underway following the successful launch Saturday morning of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. The first-of-its-kind mission, planned to be a full demonstration of the spacecraft and its systems, launched on time at 2:49 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Demo-1 is the first flight test of a space system designed for humans built and operated by a commercial company through a public-private partnership. The mission also marks a significant step toward returning to the nation the capability to launch astronauts on a U.S.-built spacecraft from U.S. soil.

“It’s an exciting evening,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said after the launch. “What today really represents is a new era in spaceflight. We’re looking forward to being one of many customers in a robust commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit.”

Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and lead designer, expressed his thanks to the SpaceX team and reported that the Crew Dragon spacecraft performed as expected through launch and ascent.

“We’re only partway through the mission, but the system thus far has passed an exhaustive set of reviews, and the launch itself,” Musk said. “The launch went as expected and so far everything is nominal.”

In addition to 400 pounds of supplies and equipment, Crew Dragon is carrying Ripley, an anthropomorphic test device outfitted with sensors to gather important data about what an astronaut flying aboard the spacecraft would experience throughout the mission.

NASA and SpaceX will use data from Demo-1 to further prepare for Demo-2, the crewed flight test that will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. NASA will validate the performance of SpaceX’s systems before putting crew on board for the Demo-2 flight, currently targeted for July.

Crew Dragon will carry out a series of phasing maneuvers as it pursues the space station during approach. The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock to the station’s Harmony module forward port tomorrow, March 3, at about 6 a.m. EST. It will remain docked until approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, March 8. Crew Dragon is expected to return to Earth with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Friday, March 8, a little more than six hours after departing the space station.

For updates throughout the Demo-1 mission, visit www.nasa.gov/station.

The Demo-1 uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s inaugural flight with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is underway following the successful launch Saturday morning of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft. The first-of-its-kind mission, planned to be a full demonstration of the spacecraft and its systems, launched on time at 2:49 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

In addition to 400 pounds of supplies and equipment, Crew Dragon is carrying Ripley, an anthropomorphic test device outfitted with sensors to gather important data about what an astronaut flying aboard the spacecraft would experience throughout the mission.

Crew Dragon will carry out a series of phasing maneuvers as it pursues the space station during approach. The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock with the orbiting laboratory tomorrow morning, March 3, at about 6 a.m. EST, and remain docked until approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, March 8. Crew Dragon is expected to return to Earth with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 8:45 a.m., a little more than six hours after departing the space station.

Stay tuned for a postlaunch press conference from Kennedy Space Center at about 4 a.m. EST. It will be broadcast live on NASA TV. Participants are:

• NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• Elon Musk, CEO and lead designer, SpaceX
• NASA astronaut Bob Behnken, SpaceX Demo-2 flight test
• NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, SpaceX Demo-2 flight test
• Steve Stich, NASA launch manager, Commercial Crew Program
• Kirk Shireman, manager, International Space Station Program

The SpaceX Falcon 9’s second stage engine has completed its burn. Standby for confirmation of Crew Dragon spacecraft separation.

With two minutes remaining in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s burn, the rocket is on its proper trajectory as it heads downrange, away from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Main engine cutoff! The nine Merlin engines powering the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage cut off as planned and the first stage separated from the vehicle seconds later.

The second stage’s single Merlin vacuum engine has started its burn.

Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on its historic inaugural flight to the International Space Station. The uncrewed Demo-1 flight test is off to a spectacular start as the rocket quickly climbs up and away from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The nine Merlin engines on Falcon 9’s first stage will burn through a million pounds of propellant during the next three minutes.

About one minute after liftoff, the rocket will reach peak aerodynamic pressure, known as Max Q. Main engine cutoff (MECO) follows at two minutes, 35 seconds into the flight, then the first stage will separate from the second stage. The single Merlin vacuum engine on the second stage will ignite two minutes, 42 seconds after launch.

SpaceX will attempt to land the first stage on the company’s autonomous drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You.”

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are ready for launch three minutes from now at 2:49 a.m. EST.

The weather and winds continue to cooperate as NASA and SpaceX prepare for the liftoff of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Demo-1 mission, an uncrewed flight to fully demonstrate this new crew transportation system. Launch remains targeted for 2:49 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Eastern Range is “go” as well, and both of the rocket’s stages are almost fully fueled.

The International Space Station will be flying at an altitude of 258 statute miles over central Iraq at the time the SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Launch Complex 39A.

Originally built for the massive Saturn V rockets that sent astronauts on Apollo missions to the Moon, Launch Complex 39A also served as one of the two launch pads used by the space shuttle. Between Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and the space shuttle, this launch pad has been the starting point for many of the nation’s most challenging and inspiring missions.

In 2014, SpaceX signed a property agreement with NASA for use and operation of the launch complex for 20 years, and the company modified the facility to prepare for the processing and launch of its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

To learn more about Launch Complex 39A’s fascinating past and the upgrades that prepared it for today’s launch, click here.