Stage 1 Successfully Lands on Drone Ship

Crew-1 stage 1 landing
Stage 1 of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lands on the company’s drone ship for reuse.

Stage 1 of the rocket completed its descent and landed on SpaceX’s drone ship.

Shutdown of the Second Stage Engine

Shutdown of the second stage engine occurs right on time. “A nominal orbit insertion,” which are great words to hear.

Second Stage Engine Continues to Burn

The second stage engine continues to burn. About eight minutes into flight, all is well.

Crew-1 Reports Trajectory Nominal

The call came in from Crew-1 Commander Mike Hopkins that trajectory is nominal. The first stage has started its descent.

First Stage Main Engine Cutoff, First and Second Stages Separate

The rocket has reached first stage main engine cutoff (MECO). The first and second stages have separated.

Liftoff! Crew-1 Astronauts on Their Way to the Space Station

Crew-1 liftoff
Above and below: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi aboard the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, blasts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience lit up the Florida Crew-1 liftoff from 39Aearly evening sky, lifting off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 7:27 p.m. EST! Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi have started their 27.5-hour journey to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission.

Max Q (the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) will happen during the next minute.

Commander Mike Hopkins: ‘Now it’s Time to do Our Part’

Crew-1 mission Commander Mike Hopkins just uttered the following words: “To all the people at NASA and SpaceX, by working together through these difficult times, you’ve inspired the nation, the world — and in no small part — the name of this incredible vehicle, Resilience. And now it’s time for us to do our part. Crew-1 for all.”

Crew-1 Remains on Schedule, Launch Less Than 15 Minutes Away

Crew-1 capsule
The Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience sits on top of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.

Fuel loading is complete on the second stage, and liquid oxygen loading has begun. Everything remains on target for the 7:27 p.m. EST launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Weather conditions remain 80% favorable.