Category: Commercial Spaceflight

The Crew-3 astronauts are now boarding SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which they have named Endurance, for this mission. Before entering Endurance, each of the crew members signed their name on one of the walls inside the White Room – the connecting area between the crew access arm and the spacecraft.

As the astronauts enter the spacecraft, their seats are configured in an upright position. Once the crew is securely inside, the seats will be rotated into a reclined position for launch, just before teams close Endurance’s side hatch – this coming up in a little more than 30 minutes.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer have arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft await liftoff.

In the next few minutes, the crew will take the elevator up the pad’s launch tower and walk down the crew access arm into the White Room – the final Earth-bound stop for the crew before entering the spacecraft.

Have you ever wondered what astronauts listen to on their way to the launch pad as they prepare to launch on the ride of a lifetime? Riding in one car together are Commander Raja Chari and Pilot Tom Marshburn. Here’s a look at a few songs on their playlist:

• “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses
• “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue
• “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

The Tesla Model X vehicles carrying Chari, Marshburn, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer are traveling to the pad in the middle of a convoy that includes support team members and security personnel. Waiting for the crew’s arrival at the launch pad is the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft that will send the four-member crew to the International Space Station.

The astronauts who will soon fly to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission just walked out of the double doors below the Neil A. Armstrong Building’s Astronaut Crew Quarters and made their way to the Tesla Model X cars that will take them to Launch Complex 39A.

Since the late 1960s, Pads A and B at Launch Complex 39 have supported America’s major space programs, with Pad A used most frequently for launches under the Space Shuttle Program. After the retirement of the shuttle program in 2011, Pad A helped usher in a new era of spaceflight with the historic Demo-1 launch for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which returned human spaceflight capability to the U.S.

Crew-3 astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer have finished putting on their SpaceX spacesuits and will soon depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for the short journey to Launch Complex 39A. At the pad, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the crew, stand ready for liftoff.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, are inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, suiting up for tonight’s launch to the International Space Station.

A team of SpaceX suit technicians are helping them put on their custom-fitted spacesuits, while checking the suits for leaks. Designed for safety and functionality, the spacesuits also provide modern comfort and style. They supply pressurization, protecting the crew from potential depressurization, and a port located on the thigh connects to life support systems, including air and power. Also included in the suits are touchscreen-compatible gloves and a flame-resistant outer layer.

Below are some of the key milestones leading up to the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission, as well as some critical events that occur after liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off just a little more than four hours from now at 9:03 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

• 5:01 p.m. Crew-3 weather briefing
• 5:06 p.m. Launch Director countdown briefing and readiness poll; crew suit donning
• 5:40 p.m. Crew walkout from Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
• 6:04 p.m. Crew arrival at Launch Complex 39A
• 6:28 p.m. Crew ingress into Endurance
• 7:08 p.m. Endurance hatch closure
• 8:08 p.m. Mission Director Go/No-Go poll for propellant loading
• 8:13 p.m. Final Go/No-Go for propellant loading
• 8:21 p.m. Crew access arm retracts
• 8:25 p.m. Dragon launch escape system is armed
• 8:28 p.m. Falcon 9 propellant loading begins
• 8:59 p.m. Strongback retraction
• 9:01 p.m. Falcon 9 propellant load complete and vehicle transitions to internal power
• 9:03 p.m. Liftoff!
• 9:12 p.m. Falcon 9 second stage engine cutoff (SECO)
• 9:15 p.m. Crew Dragon separation from Falcon 9
• 9:16 p.m. Crew Dragon nosecone deploy

Hello, and welcome to live launch coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station! Here at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the crew, stand ready for launch. Liftoff is targeted for 9:03 p.m. EST from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.

The third crew rotation flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-3 will send NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science mission.

The countdown is proceeding according to schedule, and about 15 minutes from now, the crew will receive a weather briefing, followed by a countdown briefing from the launch director inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. After that, the Crew-3 astronauts will don their SpaceX spacesuits before exiting the building and heading out to the launch pad – this coming up in just about an hour.

Stay with us here on the blog as the countdown continues; we’ll keep you updated as we reach key milestones leading up to and through launch. Or, watch live now on NASA Television or the agency’s website.

Tonight, Nov. 10, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, carrying NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer to the International Space Station for the third crew rotation mission under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Liftoff is targeted for 9:03 p.m. EST – an instantaneous launch window – and launch weather officers with the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are predicting a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch. The primary weather concerns are cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation. Teams also continue to monitor the weather conditions along in Crew Dragon’s flight path, which is expected to be favorable for launch. Live countdown coverage will begin at 4:45 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website, as well as right here on the blog.

Following liftoff, the Crew-3 astronauts will have a 22-hour journey to the space station, where they will be greeted by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov – the Expedition 66 crew already on board. Crew-3 astronauts will remain at the station for a six-month science mission, living and working as part of a seven-member crew.