Month: February 2023

Confirmation was received from Commander Stephen Bowen that SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is ‘Go’ for launch. Weather remains favorable, and we are on target for a 1:45 a.m. EST launch today.

In less than an hour, 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 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.

The crew will dock Endeavour to the forward port on the space station’s Harmony module about 25 hours after liftoff. Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station at approximately 2:38 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Later in the week, 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 cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern.

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.

The crew is scheduled for a long-duration stay of up to six months aboard the space station conducting science and maintenance before returning to Earth.

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.

The flight crew is seated and secured inside their Dragon Endeavour spacecraft preparing for their 25-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 “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; and mission specialists UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Launch is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST today 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.

The hatch is now closed on the Dragon spacecraft Endeavour. Liftoff for Stephen Bowen, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Sultan Alneyadi, and Andrey Fedyaev is approximately two hours away (1:45 a.m. EST) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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.

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 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27 (times are approximate; all times are EST):

• • 9:45 p.m.      Crew suit donning and checkouts
  • 10:30 p.m.    Crew transport to launch pad
  • 11 p.m.           Crew ingress
  • 11:16 p.m.     Seats rotated and reclined
  • 11:20 p.m.     Suit leak checks
  • 11:50 p.m.     Hatch closes on Dragon
  • 1 a.m.              Propellant load and launch ‘Go’/’No go’ poll
  • 1:03 a.m.       Crew access arm retracts
  • 1:06 a.m.       Dragon launch escape system is armed
  • 1:10 a.m.        Falcon 9 rocket propellant loading begins
  • 1:10 a.m.        First stage liquid oxygen loading begins
  • 1:29 a.m.       Second stage liquid oxygen loading begins
  • 1:38 a.m.       Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
  • 1:40 a.m.       Propellant load complete; Dragon switches to internal power
  • 1:44 a.m.       Command flight computer conducts final prelaunch checks
  • 1:44 a.m.       SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
  • 1:45 a.m.       Liftoff!
  • 1:46 a.m.       Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
  • 1:47 a.m.       First stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
  • 1:47 a.m.       First and second stages separate
  • 1:47 a.m.       Second stage engine starts
  • 1:52 a.m.       First stage entry burn
  • 1:53 a.m.       Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
  • 1:54 a.m.       First stage landing on SpaceX drone ship
  • 1:57 a.m.       Dragon separates from second stage
  • 1:58 a.m.       Dragon nosecone sequence

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 Woody Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi.

Liftoff of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is about 2.5 hours away (1:45 a.m. EST).

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.

All four crew members signed the inside of the White Room, an area at the end of the crew access arm that provides access to the spacecraft. The term “White Room” dates back to the Gemini program. To honor tradition, the room is still painted white today.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crewmates Stephen Bowen, Warren “Woody” 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 1:45 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 25-hour journey to the International Space Station sets up a 2:38 a.m. EST docking at the orbiting laboratory on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

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 “Woody” 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 until liftoff.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crew members  just walked out of the double doors below Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Building’s Astronaut Crew Quarters and made their way out to the customized Tesla Model X cars that will take them to their spacecraft.

Next stop: Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A. For a live broadcast, tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website.