Launch preparations continue at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft await liftoff at 2:49 a.m. EST on the company’s Demo-1 mission to the International Space Station.
Propellant loading operations are beginning. RP-1, a rocket-grade kerosene, is pumped into both of the Falcon 9 rocket’s stages while the first stage is loaded with liquid oxygen (LOX). Second-stage LOX loading begins later, about 16 minutes prior to liftoff.