A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after its liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, on the company’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
A SpaceX Dragon launched on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at 4:55 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of research, hardware, and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website continue to provide live coverage of the ascent. About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, open its nosecone, and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station
The spacecraft is on track to arrive at the International Space Station on Saturday, March 23, with an expected docking of the cargo spacecraft about 7:30 a.m. EDT. Watch live coverage of the arrival on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
When it arrives to the space station, Dragon will dock to the station’s Harmony module. NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Michael Barratt will monitor the arrival of the spacecraft.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands in a vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in preparation for the 30th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. NASA and partner research flying aboard the mission includes a look at plant metabolism in space and a set of new sensors for free-flying Astrobee robots to provide 3D mapping capabilities. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX
New research and technology demonstrations for NASA are scheduled to launch aboard the agency’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station at 4:55 EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Coverage of launch and docking activities will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
Full mission timeline is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on operations):
COUNTDOWN Hour/Min/Sec Events 00:38:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins pre-launch engine chill
00:05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power
00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00 Propellant tanks pressurize for flight
00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
LAUNCH AND DRAGON DEPLOYMENT Hour/Min/Sec Events 00:00:58 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:19 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:22 1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:29 2nd stage engine starts
00:02:32 Boostback Burn Starts
00:03:24 Boostback Burn Ends
00:06:20 1st stage entry burn starts
00:06:40 1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:26 1st stage landing burn starts
00:07:50 1st stage landing
00:08:35 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:11:48 Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:40 Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will carry more than 6,000 pounds of cargo, including new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the international crew aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA and its partners will send studies aboard the mission on plant metabolism in space and a set of new sensors for free-flying Astrobee robots to provide 3D mapping capabilities. Other research includes a fluid physics study that could benefit solar cell technology and a university project from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) that will monitor sea ice and ocean conditions.
Arrival at the station is scheduled for approximately 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the zenith port of the station’s Harmony module.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-7 to Earth. Photo credit: NASA TV.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, completing a six-month science mission spent aboard the International Space Station.
Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for recovery. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the Crew-7 crew members inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and undergo medical checks before a short helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives will hold a media teleconference later this morning, at 7 a.m. EDT, to discuss the Crew-7 mission and the crew’s return to Earth. The teleconference will be streamed live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Participants include:
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
Eric van der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA
Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president for human spaceflight and exploration, JAXA
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is seen inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members return to Earth on March 12, 2024. Next to her is ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen. Dragon is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA TV
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on their return to Earth after 199 days in space, has completed its deorbit burn as expected ahead of splashdown just a little under an hour away.
During its journey home, Dragon will be visible across parts of the Midwest as it prepares for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. All times are approximate:
5:36 a.m. over southwest Nebraska
5:37 a.m. over the heart of Kansas
5:38 a.m. over northeast Oklahoma
5:39 a.m. over central Arkansas with a low inclination view over parts of northeast Texas
5:40 a.m. over central Mississippi
5:41 a.m. over the southeast/southwest border of Mississippi/Alabama
~5:41 a.m. over Pensacola, Florida, and out over the Gulf
Four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes will deploy at about 18,000 feet in altitude while Dragon is moving approximately 350 miles per hour. Less than a minute later, the main parachutes will deploy at about 6,000 feet in altitude while the spacecraft is moving approximately 119 miles per hour.
Live coverage on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will continue until the crew is recovered from the spacecraft.
NASA is providing live coverage as Crew-7 crew members NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov return to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at about 5:47 a.m. EDT. Recovery forces are taking positions in the recovery zone.
The deorbit burn is scheduled to start at 4:56 a.m. EDT and will last approximately 13 minutes.
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean. Photo credit: NASA
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov inside undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 11:20 a.m. EDT to complete a nearly six-month science mission.
NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the space station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.
NASA TV coverage will resume at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday until Dragon splashes down at approximately 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, off the coast of Florida and Crew-7 members are recovered.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission launched Aug. 26, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mohgensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. The quartet arrived at the International Space Station on Aug. 27, 2023, as SpaceX Crew-7 members aboard Dragon and will splash down off the coast of Florida inside the same spacecraft completing a six-and-a-half-month space research mission. Photo credit: NASA
At 9:15 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.
NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will air live coverage beginning at 11 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 11:20 a.m. Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on March 3, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission into orbit for a mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin are on their way to the International Space Station, following the picture-perfect launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, launched at 10:53 p.m. EST atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.
“I want to personally thank the crew for their work and the sacrifice that they’ve made of their time to train and be ready for this mission,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free. “Crew-8’s mission will further the understanding of how humans learn and behave in space and how their bodies respond, and it’s all critical to our lunar exploration. We need all of these to come together to understand how people and technologies and systems will behave when we go on longer duration missions.”
Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, California, will monitor a series of automatic maneuvers that will guide Dragon to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew can take control and pilot manually, if necessary.
Upon arrival, the members of Crew-8 will be welcomed inside the station by the seven-member crew of Expedition 70 and conduct several days of handover activities with the departing astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. After the handover period, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andy Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Crew-7 will undock from the space station and splash down off the coast of Florida.
“We’ll have five dock days of Crew-8/Crew-7 handover activities, after which we’ll start watching weather and look for a landing opportunity for Crew-7,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA program manager, International Space Station. “Crew-8 will stay onboard the International Space Station until mid-August, performing over 200 experiments in science and research, technology development, and commercialization of low-Earth orbit.”
The members of Crew-8 will conduct new scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth. Experiments include using stem cells to create organoid models to study degenerative diseases, studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plants at a cellular level, and testing whether wearing pressure cuffs on the legs could prevent fluid shifts and reduce health problems in astronauts. These are just a few of the more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations taking place during their mission.
At the end of their mission, Crew-8 will complete a short handover with Crew-9, and the Dragon spacecraft – with the four crew members aboard – will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. After splashdown off of Florida’s coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the spacecraft and crew, who then will be helicoptered back to shore.
“What a crazy exciting time in space right now,” said Free. “And it’s all rooted in NASA’s mission of exploring the unknown in air and space, innovating for the benefit of humanity, and inspiring the world through discovery. The four individuals of Crew-8 exemplify that.”
The agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launches from Kennedy Space Center at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station has safely reached orbit, and the nosecone has opened.
A postlaunch news conference will be held at approximately 12:15 a.m. EST at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center with the following participants:
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
NASA will air the postlaunch news conference on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Follow along with mission activities and get more information on the International Space Station blog.
The Dragon spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9’s second stage and is flying on its own. The spacecraft is traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 kilometers per hour). In less than a minute, the Dragon nosecone open sequence will begin.
