Crew-2 astronauts – Commercial Crew Program

SpaceX Crew-2 on Track for Launch April 23, NASA Celebrates Earth Day in Space Today

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is in view on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, as preparations continue for the Crew-2 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is in view on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, as preparations continue for the Crew-2 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide are scheduled to launch at 5:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 23, 2021. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station is on track for Friday, April 23, at 5:49 a.m. EDT. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Crew Dragon spacecraft will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly to the International Space Station for a six-month science mission. NASA TV coverage of Crew-2 launch preparations and liftoff will begin at 1:30 a.m. Friday, April 23. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station Saturday, April 24, at approximately 5:10 a.m. EDT.

For an April 23 launch, the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron continues to predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. The primary weather concerns for the launch area will be flight through precipitation from isolated, low-topped coastal showers and onshore flow. Conditions continue to improve along the flight path and recovery area for the mission.

Today, Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day. To commemorate this day, NASA is hosting Earth Day in Space. Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes will join five astronauts living and working aboard the International Space to discuss how we’re all #ConnectedByEarth, asking questions from young people around the world about Earth Day, climate change and how the astronauts study Earth from space.

The event will feature NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who recently arrived to the space station aboard a Soyuz, joining NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi, the Crew-1 team who arrived last November. It will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s YouTube channel and website at 11 a.m. EDT April 22.

The Crew-1 astronauts are scheduled to depart the space station at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday, April 28. They will participate in their final news conference aboard the microgravity laboratory at 12:30 p.m. EDT Monday, April 26, about their upcoming return to Earth. Media wishing to participate by telephone must call NASA’s Johnson Space Center’s newsroom at 281-483-5111 to RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Friday, April 23. The news conference will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Those following the briefing on social media may ask questions using #AskNASA.

Crew-1 worked on a number of experiments as part of Expedition 64 to the International Space Station, including tissue chips that mimic the structure and function of human organs to understand the role of microgravity on human health and diseases, and translate those findings to improve human health on Earth. Astronauts also grew radishes in different types of light and soils as part of ongoing efforts to produce food in space and tested a new system to remove heat from spacesuits.

Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/crew-2. Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following: @Commercial_Crew, @space_station, and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

People Across the Globe Wish Astronauts Well Ahead of Launch

A map with representations of NASA Virtual Guests participating in the Crew-2 mission.

NASA’s virtual guests for the agency’s Crew-2 mission have shared more than 15,000 messages for the astronauts scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on April 22 — Earth Day. The messages hail from around the world in over seven languages with safety as one of most popular sentiments for the crew.

Virtual guests also frequently mentioned that they wish the crew “all the best” and they hope the crew takes time to “enjoy” the mission. If you’d like to be a virtual guest for this mission you can register until April 22. You can also join this list to learn about future opportunities.

Remember to tune into the launch on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app beginning at 2 a.m. EDT Thursday, Apr. 22, to watch live coverage of the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission.

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 6:11 a.m. EDT, carrying NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, on their mission to the International Space Station.

In addition to the launch, NASA is celebrating Earth Day through games, speakers, and activities. Be #ConnectedByEarth on social media. Check out these resources and more at www.nasa.gov/earth-day-2021.

Astronauts and Launch Teams Rehearse for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A during a dress rehearsal prior to the Crew-2 mission launch, Sunday, April 18, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Kimbrough, McArthur, Pesquet, and Hoshide are scheduled to launch at 6:11 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Early this morning, Sunday, April 18, Crew-2 mission astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, completed a countdown dress rehearsal of the launch day events.

Alongside their launch teams, the crew members are preparing for their mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Endeavour, secured atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. Crew-2 is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners in support of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet began their day in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. They put on their black-and-white SpaceX spacesuits, took the elevator down to the ground level and exited through a pair of double doors, where Tesla Model Xs waited to transport them to the launch pad. With smiles and waves, they climbed in for the 20-minute ride to Launch Complex 39A.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft moved to the launch pad and into the vertical launch position on Friday, April 16. All four astronauts entered the Crew Dragon by way of the pad’s Crew Access Arm and checked their communications systems before the hatch was closed. The rehearsal concluded about 45 minutes prior to the scheduled launch time; lift off is set for Thursday, April 22 at 6:11 a.m. EDT.

More details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

Virtual Media Event Features Crew-2 Astronauts in Crew Quarters

From left to right, Crew-2 mission astronauts Thomas Pesquet (ESA), Megan McArthur (NASA), Shane Kimbrough (NASA) and Ahihiko Hoshide (JAXA), arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 2021. The astronauts are set to launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft on the second crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for 6:11 a.m., on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts will participate in a virtual media event at 9:45 a.m. EDT April 17 from inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, will answer questions during the event about their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

The crew arrived at Kennedy from NASA’s Johnson Space Center April 16 and began their stay in the crew quarters, located inside the center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. The facility has housed astronauts over the years dating back to the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. When astronauts for commercial crew launches arrive before their missions, they usually spend about a week quarantined in the crew quarters.

The recently upgraded facility occupies about 26,000 square feet of the O&C building. The access-restricted area features 23 bedrooms – each with a bathroom – and the iconic suit room, where astronauts are helped into their pressure suits moments before boarding a vehicle to take them to Launch Pad 39A to board their spacecraft.

Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet are scheduled to lift off at 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket to begin a six-month science mission to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners. More details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Astronauts Touch Down at Florida Spaceport

The astronauts that will soon launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission arrived today, April 16, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to start final preparations for liftoff.

Crew-2 mission astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, landed via Gulfstream jet aircraft at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy after departing earlier today from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The astronauts were greeted by leaders from NASA, JAXA, and ESA. A media event began shortly after arrival with the following participants:

Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administrator
Bob Cabana, center director, Kennedy
Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA
Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, spacecraft commander
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, pilot
JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, mission specialist
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, mission specialist

The astronauts are scheduled to lift off at 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carried by a Falcon 9 rocket for a six-month science mission to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Astronauts for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission Depart Houston for Florida

SpaceX Crew-2 crew members Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur Behnken, Akihiko Hoshide, and Thomas Pesquet board a plane at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas on April 16, 2021, for their launch at Kennedy Space Center on April 22, 2021. Photo credit: NASA/James Blair

The astronauts who will fly on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station are now en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.

Crew-2 mission astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, departed by plane from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for the short flight to the launch site. The crew is expected to arrive at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy just before 12:45 p.m. EDT.

Crew-2 astronauts will be greeted at arrival to the launch site by leadership from NASA, JAXA, and ESA for a brief welcome ceremony targeted for approximately 12:45 p.m. EDT. The event is scheduled to broadcast live, if weather permits, on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Crew-2 Flight Readiness Review Begins as Falcon 9 Rocket and Crew Dragon Reach the Launch Complex

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, named Endeavour, is lifted and mated to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A beginning April 13, 2021. Endeavour was transported to the Launch Complex 39A integration hangar on April 12, after making the trek from its processing facility at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission. Liftoff is set for Thursday, April 22, at 6:11 a.m. EDT.

NASA and SpaceX managers are meeting today to assess the readiness for the Crew-2 mission. The Flight Readiness Review at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida also is assessing readiness for the Crew-1 return scheduled for April 28. The traditional FRR focuses on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the International Space Station, and its international partners to support the flight, and the certification of flight readiness.

NASA will hold a media teleconference later today, no earlier than 6 p.m. EDT, April 15, about an hour after the conclusion of the review to discuss the outcome. You can listen to the news conference streamed live on NASA’s website. Media may ask questions via phone only and should contact the Kennedy newsroom for connection details no later than 5 p.m.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Monday, April 12, after making the trek from its processing facility at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The space capsule was placed atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is scheduled to be transported to the pad later today, Thursday, April 15, and raised to the vertical launch position.

Crew-2 mission astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, will fly from their home base at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Florida spaceport, arriving on Friday, April 16.

The astronauts will depart from Ellington Field near Johnson and fly to Kennedy aboard a Gulfstream jet aircraft. They’re expected to arrive at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility on Friday afternoon. Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk, Center Director Bob Cabana, Junichi Sakai, manager of JAXA’s International Space Station Program, and Frank de Winne, manager of ESA’s International Space Station Program, will greet the crew, followed by a media event at the runway that will broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s website, weather permitting.

For NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission, Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet will launch to the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon, powered by the Falcon 9. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is targeted for 6:11 a.m. EDT, Thursday, April 22.

This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners following certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Operational, long-duration commercial crew rotation missions will enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the station.

Awaiting Crew-2’s arrival are the Expedition 65 crew, which includes Crew-1 astronauts. Crew-1 NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, will undock Crew Dragon Resilience at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, and splashdown off the coast of Florida at about 12:40 p.m., after 164 days in space.

More details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found in the press kit online and by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew and commercial crew on Facebook.