NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, foreground, chat with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (left) and NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard (right) in the suit room prior to leaving for Launch Complex 39A. Image credit: NASA TV
The countdown continues to go well for today’s planned 3:22 p.m. EDT launch of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 flight test to the International Space Station. At Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is powered on and the launch team is pressurizing gaseous storage vessels onboard. Meanwhile, the Crew Dragon spacecraft is being prepared for NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to board later in the countdown. Weather remains the big question for today; the chance of favorable conditions at launch time remains 50%.
We’re standing by to see the crew leave the suit room in Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and wave to their family, friends and support team members before the ride to the launch pad.
The uncrewed SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft became the first Commercial Crew vehicle to visit the International Space Station in March 2019 during NASA’s SpaceX Demo-1 mission. Here it is pictured on March 3, 2019, with its nose cone open to reveal its docking mechanism while approaching the station’s Harmony module. Photo credit: NASA
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission will be the company’s first flight carrying a crew, but it’s the second flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is guided by four parachutes toward the Atlantic Ocean on March 8, 2019, after returning from the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-1 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
In March 2019, the SpaceX Demo-1 mission was the spacecraft’s first flight test. During that uncrewed mission, the fully autonomous Crew Dragon launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, rendezvoused and docked with the orbiting laboratory, undocked several days later and returned to Earth with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.
Demo-2 raises the stakes, taking Demo-1 a critical step further with the addition of a crew: veteran astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
This mission will serve as an end-to-end flight test to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, from launch to docking to splashdown. It is the final flight test for the system to be certified for regular, crewed flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley. Photo credit: SpaceX
Demo-2 Spacecraft Commander
Responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery
NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley suits up for launch on May 30, 2020. Image credit: NASA TV
Douglas G. Hurley was selected as an astronaut in 2000. A veteran of two spaceflights, he was the pilot on STS‐127 and STS‐135. Before joining NASA, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps and has logged over 5,500 hours in more than 25 aircraft.
The New York native flew as the pilot aboard space shuttle Endeavour on STS-127, an assembly mission to the International Space Station, in 2009. On his second flight, he served as the pilot aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the program’s final mission, STS-135, in 2011. He has logged more than 680 hours in space.
Astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, is pictured at the pilot’s station on the flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis during the mission’s third day in space. The photo was made by a crewmate shortly before the shuttle and the International Space Station docked, July 10, 2011. Photo credit: NASA
“Doug is ready for anything, all the time. He is always prepared,” Behnken said of Hurley. “Knowing you’re going to fly into space on a test mission, you couldn’t ask for a better person or a better type of individual to be there with you. I’m just grateful that, doing something like this, I’m doing it with Doug Hurley, because he’s going to be prepared for whatever comes our way.”
NASA astronaut Robert Behnken. Photo credit: SpaceX
Demo-2 Joint Operations Commander
Responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as Demo-2 activities while the spacecraft is docked to the International Space Station
NASA astronaut Robert Behnken suits up for launch on May 30, 2020. Image credit: NASA TV
Missouri native Robert L. Behnken was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2000 and is a veteran of two space shuttle flights. A colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Behnken has flown more than 1,500 flight hours in more than 25 different types of aircraft.
He flew as a mission specialist aboard space shuttle Endeavour on STS-123 in March 2008, and again as a mission specialist aboard Endeavour on STS-130 in 2010. Both flights were assembly missions to the International Space Station. He has logged more than 708 hours in space, and more than 37 hours during six spacewalks.
NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, participates in a spacewalk on Feb. 16, 2010. Photo credit: NASA
Hurley recently said of Behnken, “there is no stone unturned, no way he doesn’t have every potential eventuality already thought about, five times ahead of almost anybody else. There’s just no question I can ask him that he doesn’t already have the best answer for. It’s just been such a pleasure – and it’s such an asset – to have somebody like that on a crew with you. He’s already got it all figured out.”
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley suit up for launch on May 30, 2020. Image credit: NASA TV
SpaceX Demo-2 astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are now inside the suit room in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. SpaceX suit technicians are helping them as they get dressed in their suits, check the communications and ensure there are no leaks.
In this photo taken July 8, 2011, STS-135 pilot Douglas Hurley waves after putting on his launch-and-entry suit and helmet prior to liftoff on the final space shuttle mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
SpaceX spacesuits are designed for safety and functionality – but with a nod to comfort and style. The primary purpose of the spacesuit is to provide a cocoon of pressurization, protecting from potential depressurization. A port on the suit’s thigh connects to life support systems, including air and power. The suits also include touchscreen-compatible gloves and a flame-resistant outer layer. The helmet is custom manufactured using 3-D printing technology and includes integrated valves, mechanisms for visor retraction and locking, and microphones.
Like so many other facilities at the Florida spaceport, the suit room has a fascinating history. In this room, Apollo and shuttle crews suited up for flight. Before today, the last crew to suit up in this room was the STS-135 crew, which included Hurley, the mission’s pilot, in July 2011.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. Photo credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 crew members Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are also good friends. They entered the astronaut corps at the same time – the class of 2000; they both married astronauts; they were even in each other’s weddings. Both flew twice to the International Space Station on separate space shuttle missions. Now they’re preparing to fly together.
“We can think ahead in terms of what the other person is going to need, or what the other person is going to want, anticipate the next input, all those sorts of things, which really, in a test flight like this, goes a long way,” Behken said. “You can really anticipate the other person’s reactions versus to have a, ‘Well, I don’t know, Doug. How do you feel about the next series of events?’ I already know the answers to those questions, and it makes a big difference when you’re doing something as critical as spaceflight.”
The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand on Launch Complex 39A on May 27, 2020. Image credit: NASA TV
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the countdown to a new era in U.S. human spaceflight: the commercial crew era. Here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, awaits liftoff at 3:22 p.m. EDT.
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley on Launch Complex 39A before boarding the SpaceX Crew Dragon atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, May 27, 2020. Image credit: NASA TV
This mission is NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2, and it will return human spaceflight capability to Florida’s Space Coast with the launch of two American astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, to the International Space Station on an American rocket from American soil as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The weather has been touch-and-go after Wednesday’s first launch attempt was rescheduled due to unfavorable weather conditions. Today’s forecast predicts a 50-50 chance of favorable weather at launch time today.
We’ll tell you more about the astronauts, the Crew Dragon spacecraft, the Falcon 9 rocket, and the mission to come as the countdown continues, so stay with us.
The countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Press Site is seen during sunrise on launch day for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA and SpaceX are preparing for today’s planned launch of the agency’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley is targeted for 3:22 p.m. EDT from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.
Follow the countdown live starting at 11 a.m. EDT on NASA Television, on the web at http://www.nasa.gov/live and here on the blog.
Behnken and Hurley are spending the morning in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where they’ll sit down for a preflight meal five hours prior to launch. The crewmates will receive a weather briefing at approximately 11:07 a.m., then begin suiting up in the crew quarters’ Suit Room around 11:22 a.m.
Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron continue to predict a 50% chance of favorable weather conditions at launch time. The primary concerns remain flight through precipitation, anvil clouds and cumulus clouds.
Here’s an overview of the countdown milestones ahead:
-04:15:00 Crew weather brief
-04:05:00 Crew handoff
-04:00:00 Suit donning and checkouts
-03:22:00 Crew walk out from Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
-03:15:00 Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
-02:55:00 Crew arrives at pad
-02:35:00 Crew ingress
-02:20:00 Communication check
-02:15:00 Verify ready for seat rotation
-02:14:00 Suit leak checks
-01:55:00 Hatch close
-00:45:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
-00:42:00 Crew access arm retracts
-00:37:00 Dragon launch escape system is armed
-00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
-00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
-00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins
-00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
-00:05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power
-00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
-00:01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
-00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
-00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
-00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
The Demo-2 mission will serve as an end-to-end flight test to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, from launch to docking to splashdown. It is the final flight test for the system to be certified for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 launch, initially scheduled for May 27, was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions. The next launch attempt is Saturday, May 30. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and SpaceX continue planning toward a Saturday, May 30, launch attempt of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley. Although the weather models for Saturday show an improvement in conditions around Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams continue to monitor launch and down range weather. Teams still want more weather data to determine if they will proceed with a launch attempt or focus on the backup attempt on Sunday, May 31.
On Saturday, the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 50% chance of favorable conditions at launch time. The primary concerns remain flight through precipitation, anvil clouds and cumulus clouds. However, outside of the launch site are some areas of concern with a potential for lightning storms and high winds and waves along the flight path. All weather conditions need to be within acceptable limits both for launch and the flight path for NASA and SpaceX to be “go” for the launch attempt.
On Sunday, the 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 60% chance of favorable conditions at launch time. Weather models also show an improvement in conditions throughout the flight path.
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission will return human spaceflight to the International Space Station from U.S. soil on an American rocket and spacecraft as a part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Demo-2 will be SpaceX’s final test flight to validate its crew transportation system, including the Crew Dragon, Falcon 9, launch pad and operations capabilities. During the mission, the crew and SpaceX mission controllers will verify the performance of the spacecraft’s environmental control system, displays and control system, maneuvering thrusters, autonomous docking capability, and more.
Behnken and Hurley will join the Expedition 63 crew on the station to conduct important research, as well as support station operations and maintenance. While docked to the station, the crew will run tests to ensure the Crew Dragon spacecraft is capable on future missions of remaining connected to the station for up to 210 days. The specific duration for this mission will be determined after arrival based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. Finally, the mission will conclude with the Crew Dragon undocking from the station, deorbiting and returning Behnken and Hurley to Earth with a safe splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, NASA and SpaceX will provide coverage of launch activities, airing on NASA TV and the agency’s website, as well as here on the blog. This will include live shots of Behnken and Hurley as they put on their spacesuits, their arrival at historic Launch Complex 39A and liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket. Coverage will continue through Crew Dragon’s docking to the space station, scheduled for 10:29 a.m. EDT on Sunday, May 31.
The crew access arm is swung into position for the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A on May 21, 2020, in preparation for the Demo-2 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The delta Launch Readiness Review for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station has concluded at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The review covered the preparations for the second launch attempt for the Demo-2 test flight including the status of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and the ground systems at Launch Complex 39A. This review focused on the technical readiness for launch, and mission teams were “go” for a second launch attempt.
NASA and SpaceX now will turn attention to the weather around the launch site and the entire flight path for the Crew Dragon spacecraft. During the upcoming discussions, launch teams will hear the latest weather projections from the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron, SpaceX and the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Teams will consider all options that give the best opportunities for a successful mission, including evaluating technical readiness, weather around the launch pad, weather and sea states in the flight path of Crew Dragon, the location of the space station for mission phasing, and ensuring the launch teams and astronauts get the needed rest between launch attempts. Together, teams will look to find the best possible opportunities for a successful launch and docking of the Crew Dragon to the space station. The next available attempts are on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. SpaceX also has requested a backup launch opportunity on Tuesday, June 2, to protect for the additional opportunity, if needed.
Demo-2 will be SpaceX’s final test flight to validate its crew transportation system, including the Crew Dragon, Falcon 9, launch pad and operations capabilities. During the mission, the crew and SpaceX mission controllers will verify the performance of the spacecraft’s environmental control system, displays and control system, maneuvering thrusters, autonomous docking capability, and more.
