Good evening and welcome to live launch coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 – a science expedition mission to the International Space Station. Crew-6 marks the sixth crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system flight with astronauts to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the company’s Dragon spacecraft – named Endeavour – awaits liftoff in just a few hours. Launch is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, mission commander, and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who join as mission specialists, will fly to the space station after launching from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.
After an approximate 25-hour journey, the Crew-6 crew members will arrive at the space station for a short handover period with the flight crew the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, mission specialists, will depart the microgravity laboratory for a splashdown off the coast of Florida in March, completing a long-duration stay on the space station.
Today’s launch is proceeding according to schedule. At Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, the astronauts will undergo medical checks and get a weather briefing before suiting up.
Stay with us as the countdown continues; we’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this important mission. Starting at 10:15 p.m. EST today, there will be a live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
More details about the mission can be found on the Crew-6 blog, in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.
Learn more about station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook account.