Separation Confirmed! Dragon Leaves Behind Second Stage

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 launch from Kennedy Space Center
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, separates from the second stage during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. Photo credit: NASA TV

Dragon has separated from the second stage and is flying on its own. The spacecraft is traveling at approximately 17,000 miles per hour (27,000 kilometers per hour). About one minute later, the Dragon nosecone open sequence will begin.

Falcon 9 First Stage Successfully Lands

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 launch from Kennedy Space Center
Shown here is Stage 1 of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Photo credit: NASA TV

Stage 1 of the Falcon 9 rocket completed its descent and landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, becoming the first booster for a commercial crew flight to return to the station for recovery.

Rocket Reaches Max Q

Max Q, or the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket, has been reached.

In the next minute, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage will separate from the second stage to attempt a landing at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. If successful, this will be the first commercial crew launch to return a booster to land – rather than returning to a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean – for recovery operations.

Liftoff! Crew-7 Is on Its Way to International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off the pad at 3:27 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 26, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members to the International Space Station. Aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. They will dock to the orbiting laboratory at about 8:40 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 27.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off the pad at 3:27 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 26, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members to the International Space Station. Aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. They will dock to the orbiting laboratory at about 8:40 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 27. Photo credit: NASA/TV

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft Endurance light up the early morning Florida sky! NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, pilot; and mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov have started their approximately 22-hour journey to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. Liftoff occurred at 3:27 a.m. EDT.

Crew-7 Remains on Schedule, Launch About 15 Minutes Away

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 launch from Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 launch is set for 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA TV

Fuel loading is complete on the second stage, and liquid oxygen loading has begun. Everything remains on target for the 3:27 a.m. EDT launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.