Weather conditions near multiple splashdown zones off the coast of Florida remain unfavorable for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from the International Space Station. Mission managers continue to monitor conditions as weather is expected to remain unfavorable for several days. The next weather briefing is planned for 11 a.m. EDT, on Friday, Oct. 18. If weather conditions improve, NASA and SpaceX will target no earlier than 3:05 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 20, for undocking from the space station.
Tag: Endeavour
NASA, SpaceX Continue Evaluating Weather for Crew-8 Return
Mission managers continue to monitor weather conditions near the splashdown zones off the Florida coast ahead of returning NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station. Current forecasts indicate unfavorable conditions over the next several days. The next weather briefing is planned for 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 16. If weather conditions improve, NASA and SpaceX will target no earlier than 3:05 a.m., Friday, Oct. 18, for undocking from the space station.
NASA, Boeing Update Launch Date for Starliner’s First Astronaut Flight
Following a review of the International Space Station operations, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeting no earlier than Monday, May 6, for Starliner’s first launch with astronauts to the orbital complex. The date adjustment optimizes space station schedule of activities planned toward the end of April, including a cargo spacecraft undocking and a crew spacecraft port relocation required for Starliner docking. NASA and Boeing also are performing prelaunch closeout work and completing final certification for flight.
Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the space station for a docking to the forward port of the Harmony module. Ahead of Starliner’s launch, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crewmates will board the Dragon spacecraft, currently docked to the forward port, for a relocation to the zenith port of Harmony to allow for Starliner docking. The date shift also allows additional time for the crew aboard the microgravity laboratory to complete science and cargo logistics ahead of the departure of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Williams and Wilmore will spend about a week docked to the space station ahead of a return to Earth in the western United States. The flight test will help NASA verify whether the Starliner system is ready to fly regular crew rotation missions to space station for the agency.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Coverage is Underway!
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.
Crew-6 Enters Quarantine for Mission to Space Station
NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev entered their official quarantine period beginning Sunday, Feb. 12, in preparation for their flight to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission.
The process of flight crew health stabilization is a routine part of final preparations for all missions to the space station. Spending the final two weeks before liftoff in quarantine will help ensure Crew-6 members are healthy, as well as protect the astronauts already on the space station.
Crew members can choose to quarantine at home if they are able to maintain quarantine conditions prior to travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If quarantining at home is not possible – for example, if a household member can’t maintain quarantine because of job or school commitments – crew members have the option of living in the Astronaut Quarantine Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston until they leave for Kennedy.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with humans aboard. The mission is targeted to launch no earlier than 2:07 a.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26, on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft – named Endeavour – atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Mission operations teams will be closely monitoring the weather leading up to liftoff.
After docking, the Crew-6 crewmates will be welcomed inside the station by the seven-member crew of Expedition 68. Following a handover on the space station with Crew-6, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crew members will undock from the space station.
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.
Briefings, Interviews Set for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Mission
A pair of news conferences on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will highlight the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station in February. The mission is NASA’s sixth crew rotation flight involving a U.S. commercial spacecraft carrying crew for a science expedition aboard the microgravity laboratory.
First up, a mission overview news conference at noon EST, followed by a crew news conference at 2 p.m. Both will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Crew-6 mission will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Crew members also will be available for individual interviews after 3:30 p.m.
The Falcon 9 rocket, with Dragon Endeavour spacecraft atop, scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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