Commercial Crew Program

The SpaceX launch director polled the NASA and SpaceX leaders in Firing Room 4 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and gave a GO for fueling for the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft that will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, for a science expedition mission aboard the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is set for 12:34 a.m. EST.

At 35 minutes prior to launch, SpaceX teams will begin loading rocket grade kerosene followed by liquid oxygen for the first and second stages of the Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon will transition to internal power five minutes before launch, and the launch director will give the final GO for launch 45 seconds before liftoff.

More details about the Crew-6 mission can be found by following the Crew-6 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.

In less than an hour (12:34 a.m. EST), the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with Endeavour atop, will lift off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida for NASA’s Space X Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station.

The mission is the sixth crew rotation flight of a Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, who will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists.

The crew will dock Endeavour to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 24.5 hours after liftoff. Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station at approximately 1:17 a.m. EST on Friday, March 3.

Later this month, the four SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts currently on the space station will enter the Dragon Endurance spacecraft and undock from Harmony’s space-facing port for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida. Endurance Commander Nicole Mann, Pilot Josh Cassada, and mission specialists Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina have been living and working on the space station since Oct. 6, 2022.

Crew-6 is scheduled for a long-duration stay of up to six months aboard the space station, conducting science and maintenance before returning to Earth. Follow along here on the blog or tune in to the live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron continue to predict a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the flight through precipitation rule serving as the primary weather concern.

Liftoff, from historic Launch Complex 39A, is slated for 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2. Stay with us as the countdown continues; we’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this important mission. Watch NASA’s live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Seated inside SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour, awaiting launch, are NASA astronauts Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren Hoburg, along with mission specialists Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi. Liftoff will be powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The flight crew is seated inside their Dragon Endeavour spacecraft preparing for their 24.5-hour journey to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission. About 45 minutes prior to liftoff, the SpaceX launch director will conduct a poll of NASA and SpaceX mission managers to determine if they are ready for launch.

With a successful “Go for launch” decision, the crew access arm will retract, the crew will close their visors, the launch escape system will be activated in the unlikely event of a contingency, and SpaceX will begin loading propellant into the Falcon 9 rocket for launch.

The Crew-6 flight will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, commander; Warren Hoburg, pilot; and mission specialists UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Launch is targeted for 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Follow along here on the blog or tune in to the live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

More details about the mission can be found on the Crew-6 blog, in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Below are some key milestones for the Crew-6 mission launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff, from Launch Complex 39A, is targeted for 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2 (times are approximate; all times are EST):

• 11:52 p.m.          Crew access arm retracts
• 11:56 p.m.          Dragon launch escape system is armed
• 11:59 p.m.          Falcon 9 rocket propellant loading begins
• 12:27 a.m.          Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
• 12:32 a.m.          Propellant load complete; Dragon switches to internal power
• 12:33 a.m.          SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
• 12:34 a.m.          Liftoff!
• 12:35 a.m.          Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
• 12:36 a.m.          First stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
• 12:36 a.m.          First and second stages separate
• 12:36 a.m.          Second stage engine starts
• 12:41 a.m.          First stage entry burn
• 12:42 a.m.          Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
• 12:43 a.m.          First stage landing on SpaceX drone ship
• 12:46 a.m.          Dragon separates from second stage
• 12:47 a.m.          Dragon nosecone sequence

 

The hatch is now closed on the Dragon spacecraft Endeavour, sealing the flight crew inside for their historic journey. Liftoff for Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Sultan Alneyadi, and Andrey Fedyaev is approximately two hours away (12:34 a.m. EST).

The countdown is continuing on track. For continuous coverage, stay here on the blog, in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook. There also is a continuous live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Launch configuration communication checks have been executed, with no issues. The seats are being rotated into position for launch.

The seating order inside SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour, from left, are: Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi.

Liftoff of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is about 2.5 hours away (12:34 a.m. EST).

For a live broadcast of launch-day activities, tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website. More details about the mission can be found on the Crew-6 blog, in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA’s Space X Crew-6 crew members are now boarding the Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour. As the crewmates board, their seats are configured in the upright position; later, prior to closure of the spacecraft’s side hatch, the seats will be rotated into a reclined position for flight.

The four Crew-6 crewmates – Commander Stephen Bowen, Pilot Warren Hoburg, Mission Specialist UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Mission Specialist Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev – are set to launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida at 12:34 a.m. EST, Thursday, March 2. They will dock the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, to the forward port on the International Space Station Harmony module about 24.5 hours after liftoff.

Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website for a live broadcast of launch activities and milestones.

Crew-6 crewmates Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Sultan Alneyadi, and Andrey Fedyaev have arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, where SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is ready for them to climb in for launch. Liftoff is slated for 12:34 a.m. EST.

In the next few minutes, the crew will take the elevator up the pad’s fixed service structure and walk down the air-conditioned crew access arm to the White Room – their final stop before climbing aboard.

The approximate 24.5-hour journey to the International Space Station sets up a 1:17 a.m. EST docking at the orbiting laboratory on Friday, March 3.

Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website for a live broadcast.

More details about the mission can be found on the Crew-6 blog, in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, are on their way to Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A after departing the Florida spaceport’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. They are right on schedule.

Before leaving, the flight crew paused to recognize family, friends, and support team members who gathered to see them off. They then climbed into their customized black Tesla Model X vehicles for the approximate 20-minute ride to the pad.

The crew’s vehicle is traveling in a convoy, including support team members and security personnel. At the launch site, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft Endeavour are ready for the crew’s arrival.

It is about three hours, 15 minutes until liftoff.