Author: James Cawley

Coverage is underway on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website for today’s launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 science expedition mission to the International Space Station. Crew-6 marks the sixth crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system, and its sixth flight with crew, to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the company’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, awaits liftoff from Launch Complex 39A, targeted for Monday at 1:45 a.m. EST.

The Crew-6 flight will carry NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Just before 10:25 p.m., the crew is scheduled to depart for the launch pad after walking out from astronaut crew quarters inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy. About 25 minutes later they will arrive at Launch Complex 39A.

After ascending the launch tower to the crew access arm, the astronauts will climb into the Dragon spacecraft that will take them to the International Space Station. They will conduct checks to ensure their communications system works and their spacesuits are airtight.

A little less than two hours before launch, technicians will close the hatch to the Dragon, sealing the astronauts inside for their historic journey. About 45 minutes prior to the targeted lift off, the SpaceX launch director will conduct a poll of NASA and SpaceX mission managers to see if they are ready for launch.

With a successful “GO for launch” decision, the crew access arm will be retracted, the crew will close their visors, the launch escape system will be activated in the event of a contingency, and SpaceX will begin loading propellant into the Falcon 9 rocket for launch.

U.S. Space Force 45th Space Wing meteorologists are forecasting a 95% chance of favorable weather at lift off based on Falcon 9 crewed Dragon launch weather criteria, and teams will continue to monitor lift off and downrange weather conditions until launch time.

More details about the Crew-6 mission can be found by following the Crew-6 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA SpaceX’s Crew-6 science mission includes cutting edge research aimed at keeping astronauts and spacecraft safe during deep space exploration, and studies that could lead to improved medical treatments for humans back on Earth.

Experiments include studies of how particular materials burn in microgravity, tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions, and an investigation that will collect microbial samples from the outside of the International Space Station. These are just some of the more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations that will take place during the mission.

Liftoff is now about four hours away (1:45 a.m. EST) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will fly NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station for up to six months.

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, there will be a live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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.

The Launch Readiness Review for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station is complete and the mission has been given a ‘Go’ for launch. Liftoff is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Endeavour, powered by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev on a 25-hour trip to the space station. The crew will dock at approximately 2:38 a.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 28, remaining onboard the microgravity laboratory for up to six months to conduct science and maintenance.

Starting at 10:15 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, tune in to a live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agency’s website and follow along through countdown and other key mission milestones.

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.

Tonight’s prelaunch news teleconference (audio only) at Kennedy Space Center for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launch from the Florida spaceport will begin at 11:15 p.m. EST.

The news conference can be found at www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

Managers from NASA, SpaceX, and international partners currently are gathered at Kennedy to determine the launch readiness for the Crew-6 liftoff to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27, from Kennedy.

Managers from NASA, SpaceX, and international partners will gather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8 p.m. EST, today, Feb. 25, to determine the launch readiness for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 liftoff to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Following the Launch Readiness Review, the prelaunch news teleconference (audio only) at Kennedy starts at 10:30 p.m. EST today with the following participants:

• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
• Dana Weigel, deputy program manager, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
• Zeb Scoville, deputy chief flight director, Johnson
• Kirt Costello, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Program, SpaceX
• Adnan AlRais, mission manager UAE Astronaut Mission 2, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE
• Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron

The news conference can be found at www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron continue to predict a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern.

Starting at 10:15 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 26, there will be a live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Check the Crew-6 blog for key events leading up to launch, and then follow the blog on launch day starting at 9 p.m. EST.

This morning, Feb. 24, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the company’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and Crew-6 crew members to the International Space Station reached a key milestone ahead of liftoff. While standing on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, the rocket’s nine Merlin first-stage engines roared to life for seven seconds, completing the routine but critical integrated static fire test.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the space station for a six-month science mission. Liftoff is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27.

Beginning at 9 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26, NASA will offer blog coverage of launch-day activities on the Crew-6 blog. At 10:15 p.m. EST, tune in to a live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agency’s website and follow along through countdown and other key mission milestones.

This is the sixth crew rotation mission with astronauts using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. More details about the Crew-6 mission can be found in the press kit online and by following the Crew-6 blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.

In the early-morning hours on Friday, Feb. 24, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the upcoming Crew-6 launch, targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27.

Rehearsal will begin with launch teams assisting Crew-6 crewmates into their SpaceX spacesuits inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building – just as they will on launch day. Next, the crew will take the elevator down to the ground floor and exit the building’s double doors, where Tesla Model Xs will be waiting to drive them the short distance to Launch Complex 39A.

After they arrive at the launch pad, Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev will ride the launch tower’s elevator up to the crew access arm – the walkway they will use to enter Endeavour. Once securely seated inside, the crew will check their communications systems before the spacecraft’s hatch is closed. The rehearsal will conclude with the “Go/No-Go” poll for Falcon 9 fueling, which normally occurs about 45 minutes before liftoff.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft Endeavour that will carry the crew to the International Space Station arrived at the launch pad and was raised into a vertical position for launch on Thursday, Feb. 23. The Endeavour spacecraft previously flew NASA’s Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Axiom Mission-1 astronauts.

Beginning at 9 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26, NASA will offer blog coverage of launch-day activities on the Crew-6 blog. At 10:15 p.m. EST, tune in to a live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agency’s website and follow along through countdown and other key mission milestones.

In an official report released Thursday, Feb. 23, weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern.

Liftoff is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST, Monday, Feb. 27, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. The mission will carry two NASA astronauts – Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg – along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who join as mission specialists, to the International Space Station.

The crew is scheduled for a long-duration stay of up to six months aboard the space station conducting science and maintenance before returning to Earth.

Starting at 10:15 p.m. EST on Feb. 26, there will be a live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Follow along here on the Crew-6 blog for key events leading up to launch, and then follow on launch day starting at 9 p.m. EST.