February 2023 – NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Mission

NASA, SpaceX Eying Thursday for Crew-6 Launch

The flight crew of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission — The flight crew for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission are shown in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building’s suit-up room at Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a countdown dress rehearsal on Feb. 23, 2023. From left are Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Warren “Woody” Hoburg and Stephen Bowen, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi. Launch is slated for 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station is targeted to launch no earlier than 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2, from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will be from Launch Complex 39A.

Mission management teams are meeting late Tuesday to review launch readiness and assess weather conditions at the launch site and along Dragon’s planned flight path; an update will be shared after the reviews.

Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron continue to predict a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for Crew-6 launch, with the flight through precipitation rule serving as the primary weather concern. Teams also need to evaluate conditions along the Dragon ascent corridor, which is a watch item for Thursday’s attempt.

Updated mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Wednesday, March 1

9 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins

Thursday, March 2

12:34 a.m. – Launch

2:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV

11:30 p.m. – NASA TV arrival coverage begins

Friday, March 3

1:17 a.m. – Docking to space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module

2:55 a.m. – Hatch opening

3:40 a.m. – Welcome ceremony

Crew-6 will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists, to the space station for a science expedition mission. The trip will mark the fourth spaceflight for Bowen and the first for Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev.

On launch day, follow along 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.

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.

Light-Duty Day on Station Ahead of Crew-6 Launch

The four SpaceX Crew-6 members (from left) Andrey Fedyaev, Stephen Bowen, Warren "Woody" Hoburg, and Sultan Alneyadi, pose for a portrait at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX — The four SpaceX Crew-6 members (from left) Andrey Fedyaev, Stephen Bowen, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, and Sultan Alneyadi, pose for a portrait at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX

Four Expedition 68 astronauts took the afternoon off on Tuesday at the International Space Station while three cosmonauts focused on cargo transfers and lab maintenance. Meanwhile, the SpaceX Crew-6 mission is counting down to its launch at 12:34 a.m. EST on Thursday.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio handled the orbital plumbing duties inside the Tranquility module. Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) spent the day preparing urine samples to be stored in cold stowage for later use in research.

Wakata also assisted Nicole Mann in successfully removing and replacing the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue, or SAFER, battery adapter in preparation for spacewalk activities. The SAFER is essentially a “life jacket” for spacewalks. The self-contained maneuvering unit is worn like a backpack and relies on small jet thrusters to let an astronaut move around in space.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin offloaded cargo from the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft docked to the Poisk module.

NASA Flight engineers Josh Cassada and Mann are busy preparing with cosmonaut Anna Kikina to return to Earth for the upcoming crew swap. The trio, along with Wakata, are due to return to Earth several days after the SpaceX Crew-6 mission arrives at the end of the week.

The Crew-6 members scheduled for arrival to the space station are mission commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, both from NASA, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will join as mission specialists. The quartet is targeted to automatically dock to the space-facing port of the Harmony module at 1:17 a.m. on Friday. The four Crew-6 members will conduct advanced space research aboard the orbital outpost for the next six months.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Station Crew Continues Preps for Crew-6 After Launch Delay

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop is pictured during a sunset at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky — The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop is pictured during a sunset at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The seven-member Expedition 68 crew will wait a few more days for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission. Meanwhile, the International Space Station residents began the work week with a variety of research activities, lab maintenance, and cargo operations.

The space station’s four astronauts and three cosmonauts will soon welcome four SpaceX Crew-6 members who are counting down to a launch at 12:34 a.m. EST on Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The quartet was due to lift off on Monday at 1:45 a.m. aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour before launch controllers detected an issue preventing data from confirming a full load of the ignition source for the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage Merlin engines.

Back aboard the orbital outpost, Flight Engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) spent about an hour readying food and sleeping bags for the visiting crew. Mann also relocated computers to the cupola to prepare for the upcoming rendezvous and docking monitoring operations. Wakata configured research hardware that will house a new space biology investigation being delivered aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour.

Mann began her day with NASA Flight Engineer Josh Cassada performing blood draws, spinning the samples in a centrifuge, then stowing the samples in a science freezer for later analysis. Cassada would later gather cargo to be stowed aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour after its arrival. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio started his day on orbital plumbing work before finally watering tomato plants growing for the Veg-05 space botany study.

Roscosmos Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin spent Monday unpacking cargo recently delivered aboard the ISS Progress 83 resupply ship. Petelin then joined Flight Engineer Anna Kikina and tested a specialized suit that offsets the affects of microgravity potentially helping crew members adjust quicker to gravity after returning to Earth.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

NASA, SpaceX Look to March 2 for Next Available Crew-6 Launch Attempt

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 rocket and spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center — NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station at 1:45 EST Monday, Feb. 27, was scrubbed. The next available launch attempt is at 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2, pending resolution of the technical issue preventing Monday’s launch. Photo credit: SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX scrubbed Monday’s launch attempt of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station due to a ground systems issue. Mission teams decided to stand down to investigate an issue preventing data from confirming a full load of the ignition source for the Falcon 9 first stage Merlin engines, triethylaluminum triethylboron (or TEA-TEB).

“I’m proud of the NASA and SpaceX teams’ focus and dedication to keeping Crew-6 safe,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Human spaceflight is an inherently risky endeavor and, as always, we will fly when we are ready.”

SpaceX has removed propellant from the Falcon 9 rocket and the astronauts have exited the Dragon spacecraft for astronaut crew quarters. Both the Falcon 9 and Dragon are in a safe configuration.

NASA and SpaceX will forgo a launch opportunity on Tuesday, Feb. 28, due to unfavorable weather forecast conditions.

The next available launch attempt is at 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday, March 2, pending resolution of the technical issue preventing Monday’s launch.

NASA and SpaceX will a hold media teleconference prior to the next launch attempt, and more details will be provided as available. Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Launch Scrubbed

Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida to the International Space Station has been scrubbed. More information is coming soon.

Crew-6 in Terminal Count, Ready for Launch From NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

The RP-1 rocket fuel load for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launch is complete.

It’s just a few minutes until liftoff (1:45 a.m. EST), and all looks good for the Crew-6 launch! There is still time to tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website to watch the rocket and spacecraft blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Crew-6 Remains on Schedule, Launch Now 20 Minutes Away

Fuel loading is complete on the second stage, and liquid oxygen loading has begun. Everything remains on target for the 1:45 a.m. EST launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Weather conditions remain extremely favorable. Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website for a live broadcast.

The mission is the sixth crew rotation flight of a Dragon spacecraft as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” 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.

Propellant and Liquid Oxygen Loading Underway

Right on schedule – at T-minus 35 minutes – RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading and first stage liquid oxygen loading has begun.

Liftoff, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is at 1:45 a.m. EST.

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

Dragon Endeavour Spacecraft Launch Escape System Armed

The launch escape system for the Dragon spacecraft Endeavour is now armed. From liftoff until they reach orbit – roughly 12 minutes – the crew would be able to escape safely in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Crew-6 will carry two NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg – along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who join as mission specialists, to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Up next is propellant loading.

Crew Access Arm Retracted for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Launch

The crew access arm has retracts for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission launch — NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launch remains on target for 1:45 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA

The crew access arm has retracted. Coming up shortly, the Dragon launch escape system will be armed.

For continuous coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 launch to the International Space Station, stay here on the blog, visit the commercial crew blog, commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook. There also is a continuous live broadcast on NASA Television and the agency’s website.