NASA Welcomes Crew-7’s Return to Earth After Safely Splashing Down

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-7 to Earth.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-7 to Earth. Photo credit: NASA TV.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT, completing a six-month science mission spent aboard the International Space Station.

Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for recovery. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the Crew-7 crew members inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and undergo medical checks before a short helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives will hold a media teleconference later this morning, at 7 a.m. EDT, to discuss the Crew-7 mission and the crew’s return to Earth. The teleconference will be streamed live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Participants include:

  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
  • Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
  • Eric van der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA
  • Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president for human spaceflight and exploration, JAXA

Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @commercial_crew@Space_Station@ISS_Research on X, as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook, and ISS Instagram accounts.

Dragon Completes Deorbit Burn; Crew-7 Readies for Splashdown

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is seen inside SpaceX's Dragon capsule during Crew-7's return to Earth.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is seen inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members return to Earth on March 12, 2024. Next to her is ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen. Dragon is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on their return to Earth after 199 days in space, has completed its deorbit burn as expected ahead of splashdown just a little under an hour away.

During its journey home, Dragon will be visible across parts of the Midwest as it prepares for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT. All times are approximate:

  • 5:36 a.m. over southwest Nebraska
  • 5:37 a.m. over the heart of Kansas
  • 5:38 a.m. over northeast Oklahoma
  • 5:39 a.m. over central Arkansas with a low inclination view over parts of northeast Texas
  • 5:40 a.m. over central Mississippi
  • 5:41 a.m. over the southeast/southwest border of Mississippi/Alabama
  • ~5:41 a.m. over Pensacola, Florida, and out over the Gulf

Four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes will deploy at about 18,000 feet in altitude while Dragon is moving approximately 350 miles per hour. Less than a minute later, the main parachutes will deploy at about 6,000 feet in altitude while the spacecraft is moving approximately 119 miles per hour.

Live coverage on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will continue until the crew is recovered from the spacecraft.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Coverage is Underway!

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, as preparations continue for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is slated to carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 2.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission – the eighth crew rotation flight and the ninth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Launch weather officers from the U.S. Space’s Force 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are flight through precipitation and the thick cloud cover.

Launch is scheduled for 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here at Kennedy, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the company’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, awaits liftoff just after midnight. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, will fly to the space station aboard Dragon, which previously flew NASA’s SpaceX Demo Mission-2, Crew-2 and Crew-6, in addition to Axiom Mission 1, the first commercial astronaut mission to the microgravity laboratory.

The countdown is proceeding according to schedule. At Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, the astronauts have eaten and will undergo medical checks and get a final weather briefing before suiting up.

Starting at 7:15 p.m. EST, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website there will be continuous live coverage of important Crew-8 activities.

Stay with us as the countdown continues. We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this mission. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Stacking Up For Launch

United Atlas V rocket raised to vertical at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida
Crews raise a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to a vertical position at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are readying the rocket that will launch the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands vertical at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands vertical, awaiting integration with the rocket’s Centaur upper stage and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner after moving inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

The ULA Atlas V rocket was moved into the company’s Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, which starts the preparations for its stacking operations ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

The rocket’s main stage was transferred from the nearby Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center to the integration facility Wednesday, Feb. 21, where it will await integration with the rocket’s upper Centaur stage and Starliner. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the orbiting laboratory for a short stay of about one to two weeks before returning to a landing site in the southwest United States.

The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and a return to Earth. After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

NASA and Boeing are targeting no earlier than late April for launch. Starliner completed two uncrewed flight tests, including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the space station on May 21, 2022, and provided valuable data leading up to its first crewed flight.

Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts Touch Down at Florida Spaceport

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station stand before members of the news media at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.
Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, stand before members of the news media at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The Crew-8 mission is slated to launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, powered by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

After departing via Gulfstream jet aircraft from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin just landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will begin final preparations for liftoff to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.

Crew-8 astronauts will be greeted shortly by NASA leaders for a brief welcome ceremony and media event, scheduled for about 2 p.m. EST with the following participants:

  • Jennifer Kunz, associate director, NASA Kennedy
  • Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, Commercial Crew Program
  • NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick
  • NASA astronaut Michael Barratt
  • NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps
  • Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin

The event is scheduled to be streamed live on Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts.

Crew-8 astronauts are scheduled to launch to the space station at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crew will spend several months living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in the fall of 2024.

This is the eighth crew rotation flight and the ninth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for CCP. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blogX, and Facebook.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts Depart Houston for Florida

Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: SpaceX

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members are en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.

Crew-8 crewmates NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, departed by plane from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for the short flight to the Florida spaceport. The crew is expected to arrive at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility this afternoon.

Crew-8 astronauts will be greeted upon their arrival by leaders from NASA for a brief welcome ceremony targeted for approximately 2 p.m. EST. The event is scheduled to stream live, if weather permits, on Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts.

Meanwhile, NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives have gathered at Kennedy to participate in the agency’s Flight Readiness Review, which focuses on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the launch of Crew-8 and return of Crew-7. A teleconference is planned for later today, approximately one hour after the conclusion of the review. Be sure to follow along on our blog; additional details will be provided as the day progresses.

SpaceX Crew-8 is targeted to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, to the International Space Station.

Crew-8 Enters Quarantine for Mission to Space Station

One Russian cosmonaust and three astronauts, three men and one woman, stand next to each other to pose for a photo.
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX

Crew members slated to fly aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission entered quarantine Friday evening in one of the last major milestones before they head to the Florida launch site to start their mission to the International Space Station.

The flight crew health stabilization process is a routine part of final preparations for all missions to the space station. Crew-8 members will spend the final two weeks before liftoff in quarantine to help ensure they are healthy and to protect the astronauts already on the space station from sickness. During quarantine, contact with other people is limited during the isolation time and most interactions are handled remotely, though family and some launch and flight team members are cleared before they interact with the crew during this timeframe.

NASA astronauts Matthew DominickMichael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the space station. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, for the launch of the Crew-8 mission.

Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the ninth human spaceflight as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The cadre will fly aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, which previously flew NASA’s SpaceX Demo Mission-2, Crew-2 and Crew-6, in addition to Axiom Mission 1, the first private astronaut mission to the microgravity laboratory.

Follow the commercial crew blog for the latest information on Crew-8 progress and flight readiness as reviews and milestones continue. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blogX, and Facebook.

NASA Announces Winners of 2024 Commercial Crew Program Artwork Contest

Cover of CCP's Children's Artwork Calendar 2024

NASA received more than 3,000 entries from around the world for this year’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Children’s Artwork Calendar contest. Of those, the agency has selected 36 first-, second-, and third-place winners to display in the calendar for 2024.

The contest invited children to submit original artwork related to four overarching themes: rockets and spacecraft, astronauts, living and working in space, and exploring the solar system. Within each theme, submissions were divided into three age groups – 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 – with each age group receiving a first-, second-, and third-place winner.

The colorful 2024 calendar features the first-place artworks for each age group and theme in large format at the start of each month. Each month also includes smaller thumbnails of the second- and third-place winners. The back cover of the calendar includes a collage of all first-place winners. To see a list of all winners, and to download a digital copy of the calendar, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-crew-artwork-contest/.

Thank you to all the young artists who submitted artwork for this year’s contest and to the winners who helped CCP create an out-of-this-world calendar!

To learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. For fun online resources for the young and young at heart, visit www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students.

NASA Updates Commercial Crew Planning Manifest

The International Space Station’s U.S. segment and portions of the Russian segment are pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021. Prominent at the top in this view, are the Columbus laboratory module, the Harmony module and its space-facing docking port, and the Kibo laboratory module with its external pallet. Credit: NASA

NASA and its industry partners Boeing and SpaceX are planning for the next set of missions to the International Space Station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew-8

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities. Routine maintenance and processing of the Crew-8 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is in work. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin, and the third for Barratt. Crew-8 is expected to return to Earth in late August 2024, following a short handover with the agency’s Crew-9 mission.

Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT)

The first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft, named NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), is planned for no earlier than mid-April. CFT will send NASA astronauts and test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system. Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, spend approximately eight days docked to the space station, and return to Earth with a parachute and airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States.

NASA will provide an updated status of CFT readiness as more information becomes available.

Crew-9

Looking further ahead in 2024, NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than mid-August for the launch of the agency’s Crew-9, SpaceX’s ninth crew rotation mission to the space station for NASA. A crew of four will be announced at a later date.

10th Crew Rotation Mission

The 10th commercial crew rotation opportunity to the space station is targeted for early 2025. NASA is planning for either SpaceX’s Crew-10 or Boeing’s Starliner-1 mission in this slot. The Starliner-1 date was adjusted to allow for the post-flight review of the Crew Flight Test and incorporation of anticipated learning, approvals of final certification products, and completion of readiness and certification reviews ahead of that mission.

For more insight on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program missions to the orbiting laboratory follow the commercial crew blog. More details can be found @commercial_crew on X and commercial crew on Facebook.

Crew-6 Returns Safely to Earth after Splashdown

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour is seen as it splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 a.m. EDT, returning Crew-6 to Earth. Credits: NASA TV.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 a.m. EDT after 186 days in space.

Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter ride to board a plane for Houston.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog@space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe