NASA – Page 48 – Commercial Crew Program

View Today’s Live Broadcasts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Prelaunch Events

Crew-1 rocket on pad — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen on the launch pad at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday, Nov. 10, after being rolled out overnight. NASA/Joel Kowsky

Tune in to NASA Television or the agency’s website today for live broadcasts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission prelaunch events at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:49 p.m. EST, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Beginning at 10 a.m. today, watch a briefing with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at Kennedy’s historic countdown clock. Participants are:

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
Steve Dickson, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana
Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams

Later today, key managers and officials from NASA and SpaceX will convene for the Launch Readiness Review — the final planned review before the Crew-1 mission begins. A live prelaunch news conference (on NASA TV and the agency’s website) will follow, approximately one hour after the review ends, with the following participants:

Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson
Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, Johnson
Norm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff of Crew-1 based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation.

Teams also will monitor weather conditions both for the launch area and downrange.

FORECAST DETAILS

Clouds                      Coverage           Bases (feet)             Tops (feet)
Cumulus              Scattered              3,000                         8,000

Weather/Visibility: Isolated showers/7 miles
Temperature:  78 degrees

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts Rehearse for Launch Day

Crew-1 dress rehearsal — From left, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, participate in a dress rehearsal on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in advance of Saturday’s launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Today at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) participated in a countdown dress rehearsal of launch day events. The crewmates are preparing to launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket and fly to the International Space Station for a six-month science mission.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts began their day in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. They put on their black-and-white SpaceX spacesuits, took the elevator down to the ground level and exited through a pair of double doors, where their transport vehicles — Tesla Model X cars — waited. With smiles and waves, they climbed in for the 20-minute ride to Launch Complex 39A.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft have been in place on the launch pad since Monday evening, Nov. 9. Crew Dragon Commander Hopkins, Pilot Glover, and Mission Specialists Walker and Noguchi entered the Crew Dragon by way of the pad’s Crew Access Arm and checked their communications systems before the hatch was closed. The rehearsal concluded with the go/no-go poll for Falcon 9 propellant loading, which normally occurs 45 minutes before launch.

Crew-1 is the first crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the space station following the spacecraft system’s official human rating certification. Liftoff is slated for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:49 p.m. EST.

SpaceX Crew-1: Weather 70% Favorable, Crew Dry Dress Rehearsal Today

Today at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will participate in a countdown dress rehearsal of the launch day events for the first crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission is targeting launch at 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. The four crew members will arrive at the space station for docking a short time later at 4:20 a.m. on Sunday morning to join Expedition 64 for a six-month science mission.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron now predicts a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for lift off of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. The primary weather concerns for the launch area will be cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation associated with Tropical Storm Eta.

Teams also will monitor weather conditions both for the launch area and downrange.

FORECAST DETAILS:

Clouds                       Coverage            Bases (feet)             Tops (feet)

Cumulus              Broken         3,000                         8,000

Weather/Visibility: Isolated showers/7 miles

Temperature: 78 degrees

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1: SpaceX Completes Falcon 9 Static Fire Test

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft that will launch the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station has completed a key prelaunch milestone: the integrated static fire. Standing on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rocket’s nine Merlin first-stage engines were fired for 7 seconds for this critical but routine test.

The Crew-1 flight will carry Crew Dragon Commander Michael Hopkins, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Shannon Walker, all NASA astronauts, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi to the space station to join the Expedition 64 crew for a six-month science mission. Liftoff is targeted for Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:49 p.m. EST.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1: Weather 60% Favorable for Saturday Launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A after being rolled out as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA and SpaceX teams continue preparations for a launch Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:49 p.m. EST of NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is vertical on the launch pad with the Crew Dragon atop, targeting a static fire test today. The Launch Readiness Review meeting now will take place Friday, with a news briefing taking place approximately one hour after the meeting concludes.

Tomorrow, the crew will participate in a countdown dress rehearsal of the launch day events for the first crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the space station.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. Teams will monitor weather conditions both for the launch area and downrange. The primary weather concerns for launch will be cumulus clouds associated with onshore moving showers along a weak frontal boundary as Eta merges with a mid-latitude system as it moves across North Florida and the Atlantic toward the end of this week.

FORECAST DETAILS

Clouds                      Coverage           Bases (feet)             Tops (feet)

Cumulus                    Broken              3,000                         10,000

Weather/Visibility: Isolated showers/7 miles

Temperature:  78 degrees

Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/crew-1. Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @Commercial_Crew, @space_station, and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

NASA Certifies First Commercial Human Spaceflight System

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience for NASA SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission are seen inside the SpaceX Hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 9, 2020, before rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Photo credit: SpaceX

Today, NASA completed the signing of the Human Rating Certification Plan for SpaceX’s crew transportation system ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Crew Dragon, including the Falcon 9 rocket and associated ground systems, is the first new crew spacecraft to be NASA-certified for regular flights with astronauts since the space shuttle nearly 40 years ago. Several critical events paved the way for today’s landmark announcement, including ground tests, simulations, uncrewed flight tests, and a successful test flight with astronauts aboard. Read the full news story here.

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, Resilience, on the first regular crew mission to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 ‘Go’ to Proceed Toward Nov. 14 Launch

The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned lift off at 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14 from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA will hold a media teleconference at 3:30 p.m. EST to discuss the outcome of the review. Listen live on NASA’s website.

Participants in the teleconference are:

Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Norm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Randy Repcheck, director (acting), Operational Safety, Federal Aviation Administration

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of JAXA, will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, Resilience, on the first regular crew mission to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew-1 Flight Readiness Review Discussions Continue; Media Teleconference to Follow

With the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule for the Crew-1 mission now at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, NASA and SpaceX teams participating both on site and virtually are continuing the agency’s Crew-1 Flight Readiness Review discussions that began Monday.

The two-day meeting is expected to end this afternoon, and approximately one hour after the review ends, the agency will hold a media teleconference with the following participants:

Crew-1 Flight Readiness Review — NASA and SpaceX leadership participate in a Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy on Nov. 9, 2020, for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson
Norm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA
Randy Repcheck, director (acting), Operational Safety, Federal Aviation Administration

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft on the first crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:49 EST, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

Crew-1 astronauts will join the Expedition 64 crew of Commander Sergey Ryzhikov, and Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. The arrival of Crew-1 will increase the regular crew size of the space station’s expedition missions from six to seven astronauts, adding to the amount of crew time available for research.

Crew-1 Flight Readiness Review Underway; Virtual Crew Media Engagement on NASA TV

NASA and SpaceX managers are gathered this morning to begin the Crew-1 mission’s Flight Readiness Review at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The review focuses on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the International Space Station, and its international partners to support the flight, and the certification of flight readiness.

The SpaceX Crew-1 official crew insignia features a dragon in silhouette, a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the numeral 1 for Crew-1. Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, is leading the review. Hans Koenigsmann, vice president for Build and Flight Reliability, is the senior SpaceX official.

The teams also have additional time on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to complete the review. Approximately one hour after the review ends, the agency will hold a media teleconference with the following participants:

Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson
Norm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA
FAA representative

Also, tune in to NASA Television or the agency’s website at 1:15 p.m. EST today for a Virtual Crew Media Engagement at Kennedy with the Crew-1 astronauts who will answer questions live from the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building.

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft on the first crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:49 EST, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts Touch Down at Florida Spaceport

A crew arrival event for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission is held Nov. 8, 2020, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, mission specialist; NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot; Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; Bob Cabana, director, Kennedy Space Center; NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, spacecraft commander; and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The astronauts that will soon launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission arrived today at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to start final preparations for liftoff.

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), landed via plane at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy after departing earlier today from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“On behalf of the crew of Resilience, on behalf of our families, we want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of the people at SpaceX, at NASA, and in the (Department of Defense) who have been working tirelessly to get us to this point. It’s really been an incredible effort by an incredible group of people,” said Hopkins, who will serve as the mission’s commander. “As for the crew: we’re ready.”

NASA and JAXA leadership also greeted the Crew-1 astronauts at arrival to the launch site for a brief welcome ceremony.

“Today we are taking another big leap in this transformation in how we do human spaceflight. What we’re talking about here is the commercialization of space. NASA is one customer of many customers in a very robust commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “We’re transitioning from test flights to operational flights. Make no mistake, every flight is a test flight when it comes to space travel, but it’s also true that we need to routinely be able to go to the International Space Station.”

The astronauts are scheduled to lift off at 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carried by a Falcon 9 rocket for a full duration mission to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

“It is really exciting; I can’t tell you how great it is to be able to welcome a crew here to go to space again. I envy each and every one of you,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. “This whole effort to commercialize low-Earth orbit – this is just a giant step in making that happen.”

Crew-1 also will launch the first international crew to fly on the new, commercial system developed in a partnership between NASA and SpaceX.

“I believe the Crew-1 mission opens up a new era of low-Earth orbit commercialization,” said Junichi Sakai, manager of JAXA’s International Space Station Program. “I’m honored to be able to witness this great event, and I’m proud that a Japanese astronaut, Dr. Noguchi, is carrying responsibility as a member of this event.”

On Monday, Nov. 9, NASA and SpaceX managers will begin a flight readiness review at Kennedy to determine whether the Crew Dragon and its systems are ready for the mission. A media teleconference conference will be held approximately one hour after the review concludes.

Also, tune in to NASA Television or the agency’s website at 1:15 p.m. EST the same day for a Virtual Crew Media Engagement at Kennedy with the Crew-1 astronauts who will go live from the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building.

More details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.