Bright Outlook for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Launch Weather

Raising the flag for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission at Kennedy Space Center
Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, left, and Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, prepare to raise NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 flag Wednesday, Feb. 22, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

In an official report released Thursday, Feb. 23, weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron 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.

Liftoff is targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST, Monday, Feb. 27, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. The mission will carry two NASA astronauts – 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.

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.

Starting at 10:15 p.m. EST on Feb. 26, there will be a live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Follow along here on the Crew-6 blog for key events leading up to launch, and then follow on launch day starting at 9 p.m. EST.

Rocket Raised to Vertical Position for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Launch

Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Endeavour spacecraft raised to the vertical position at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 30A
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft on top, is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Thursday, Feb. 23, as preparations continue for launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft Endeavour atop, was raised to the vertical position Thursday, Feb. 23, at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida in preparation for the Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station.

Earlier today, the mated spacecraft and rocket arrived at the launch complex after rolling out from the SpaceX integration hangar adjacent to the pad. An integrated static fire test and dry dress rehearsal with the crew will occur prior to liftoff, targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 27.

The mission 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 will serve as mission specialists, to the space station for a science expedition mission.

Crew members will spend up to six months at the microgravity laboratory before returning to Earth. The mission marks the fourth spaceflight for Bowen, who flew space shuttle missions STS-126 in 2008, STS-132 in 2010, and STS-133 in 2011. Crew-6 will be the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev.

Beginning at 9 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26, NASA will offer blog coverage of launch-day activities on the Crew-6 blog. At 10:15 p.m. EST, tune in to a live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agency’s website and follow along through countdown and other key mission milestones.

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

Spacecraft, Rocket for Crew-6 Mission Roll out to Launch Pad at Kennedy

Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission
The Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is shown at SpaceX’s hangar at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Feb. 19, 2023. The spacecraft was mated to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and rolled out to the pad Thursday, Feb. 23. Photo credit: SpaceX

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft Endeavour atop, arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A this morning, Feb. 23, after rolling out from the SpaceX integration hangar adjacent to the launch pad.

The spacecraft and rocket will be raised to the vertical position for an integrated static fire test and dry dress rehearsal with the crew prior to launch.

Liftoff of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is targeted for Monday, Feb. 27, at 1:45 a.m. EST. The mission will fly NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station for up to six months to perform science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the space station.

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

Starting at 10:15 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, tune in to a Crew-6 live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agency’s website and follow along through countdown and other key mission milestones.

Roscosmos, SpaceX Crew Ships Near Launch as Station Prepares

The four SpaceX Crew-6 members pose for a portrait after arriving at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are, Andrey Fedyaev, Sultan Alneyadi, Warren "Woody" Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The four SpaceX Crew-6 members pose for a portrait after arriving at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are, Andrey Fedyaev, Sultan Alneyadi, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Four Expedition 68 crew members are preparing for their return to Earth next month while also working on space physics and household maintenance tasks. Meanwhile, a two crew ships, one from Roscosmos and one from SpaceX, are nearing their launch to the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineers Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada reviewed their upcoming departure procedures today ahead of next month’s planned return to Earth inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance. The duo were joined by Flight Engineers Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Anna Kikina of Roscosmos as they looked over the steps they will take during their homebound flight.

The quartet trained on a computer to undock Endurance from the Harmony module, reenter Earth’s atmosphere, and parachute to a safe splashdown in the waters off the coast of Florida. Mann will command Crew Dragon Endurance with Cassada piloting the vehicle as Wakata and Kikina remain seated to either side of the astronauts. The quartet launched to the station on the SpaceX Crew-5 mission on Oct. 5, 2022.

Their replacements will arrive as the Crew-6 mission after it launches on Monday at 1:45 a.m. EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg will be the respective commander and pilot of Crew Dragon Endeavour. They will be flanked inside the vehicle by astronaut Sultan Alneyadi of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos. The foursome will dock to the space-facing port of Harmony module at 2:29 a.m. on Tuesday and live and work aboard the orbital outpost for six months conducting critical space research.

NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin its live Crew-6 launch broadcast on Sunday at 9 p.m. Once the launch broadcast is over, live mission audio will stream until NASA TV resumes with its docking coverage set to begin at 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

A passengerless Soyuz MS-23 crew ship is also being readied for lift off at 7:24 p.m. on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a two-day trek to the space station. Besides delivering provisions for the crew, the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft will return NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back to Earth later this year.

The orbital residents also have been continuing their science and lab upkeep tasks during the busy visiting vehicle preparations. Rubio, with support from Wakata, installed an ultra-high temperature furnace inside the Kibo laboratory module. The specialized furnace enables safe observations of thermophysical properties of super-heated samples. Mann and Cassada took turns cleaning crew quarters in the overhead and deck portions of the Harmony module.

Prokopyev worked in the Roscosmos segment of the station checking the performance of a 3-D printer. Petelin worked on a pair of different experiments including a fluid physics study and space biology investigation. Kikina wrapped up operations for an Earth observation study and a carbon dioxide monitoring session.


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/

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NASA, SpaceX Announce Update to Crew-6 Mission

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 crew members arrive at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crew members pause for a photograph after arriving at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch and Landing Facility in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. From left are Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and NASA astronauts Warren “Woody” Hoburg and Stephen Bowen. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

During a media teleconference Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA provided an update to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, is slated for Monday, Feb. 27, at 1:45 a.m. EST. Live launch-day coverage on NASA TV and the agency’s website begins at 10 p.m. EST. Sunday, Feb. 26.

Managers from NASA and SpaceX, along with international partners, met throughout the day Tuesday as part of the mission’s Flight Readiness Review (FRR) in preparation for the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the microgravity laboratory. The FRR focused on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the flight, as well as the certification of flight readiness.

The Crew-6 launch 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 will serve as mission specialists, to the space station for a science expedition mission. They will fly aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour, carried by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Crew-6 will spend up to six months at the space station before returning to Earth. The mission marks the fourth spaceflight for Bowen, who flew space shuttle missions STS-126 in 2008, STS-132 in 2010, and STS-133 in 2011. Crew-6 will be the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev.

Muscle Research, BEAM Work Ahead of Crew Ship Launches

The waning gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth's horizon as the space station orbited above the Pacific Ocean.
The waning gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth’s horizon as the space station orbited above the Pacific Ocean.

The Expedition 68 crew members began the week exploring what microgravity is doing to their bodies and ways to offset those effects. The International Space Station’s residents also inspected BEAM as a pair of crew ships prepare to blast off to the orbital outpost.

Flight Engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) kicked off Monday with muscle scans in the Kibo laboratory module. The pair took turns marking each other’s back, neck, leg, and arm muscles and measuring their biochemical properties. They used both the Myotones device and an Ultrasound scanner to study microgravity’s effect on muscle tone, elasticity, and stiffness. The human research study may inform advanced treatments for muscle conditions on Earth and in space.

NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada spent their Monday partnering on a variety of maintenance activities. Rubio opened up BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, and entered it performing inspections and organizing cargo inside the seven-year-old module. Cassada also worked inside BEAM collecting atmospheric and surface microbe samples for incubating and analysis.

In the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Anna Kikina tested the lower body negative pressure suit. Doctors are exploring the suit’s ability to counteract the upward flow of body fluids causing head and eye pressure in crew members. Prokopyev also had time for cardiac research before checking the performance of a 3-D printer. Kikina spent the rest of her day on life support maintenance. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin assisted Prokopyev with the cardiac study then collected samples from a science freezer and serviced them for a space biology study.

Two crew ships are poised to launch to the orbiting lab before the end of the month. Teams are assessing the launch date of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, which will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will dock automatically to the Poisk module. The MS-23 will arrive uncrewed but will return home crewmates Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin on a future date.

The SpaceX Crew-6 mission is targeted to launch on Monday at 1:45 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon Endeavour will carry Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg along with Mission Specialists Sultan Alneyadi and Andrey Fedyaev to the station where they will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port beginning a six-month space research mission. Bowen and Hoburg are both NASA astronauts and Alneyadi is an astronaut representing the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and Fedyaev is a cosmonaut representing Roscosmos.


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

Crew-6 Flight Crew Touches Down in Florida

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 crew members in their pressure suits
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crewmates are pictured in front of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft during a crew equipment integration test at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, last month. From left, in their pressure suits, are: Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Warren “Woody” Hoburg and Stephen Bowen, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi. Photo Credit: SpaceX

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 flight crew has reported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to start final preparations for their mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev arrived at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility at approximately 12:20 p.m. today, Feb. 21, after departing Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Coming up shortly is a brief media event with the crew, which will be broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency’s website. In attendance will be:

  • Kelvin Manning, deputy director, Kennedy
  • Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
  • NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen
  • NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg
  • UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi
  • Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev

The international crew will fly aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, which previously flew NASA’s Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Axiom Mission-1 astronauts. Liftoff is targeted for 2:07 a.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26 – from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Flight Crew Departs Houston, Bound for Florida

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission crew members are seated inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft during a training session last year at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left are Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi. Photo credit: SpaceX

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 crew members departed Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this afternoon, Feb. 21, and are en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, commander; Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; and mission specialists astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will land at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility at approximately 12:30 p.m. Upon arrival, they will be greeted by NASA leaders before conducting a brief interview with media.

Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website to view the media event.

Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are slated to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A at 2:07 a.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26. They will fly aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour – carried by a Falcon 9 rocket – for a science expedition mission to the International Space Station.

Crew-6 Flight Readiness Review Underway, Media Teleconference to Follow

The four crew members that comprise the SpaceX Crew-6 mission pose for a photo in their spacesuits during a training session at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left are, Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi.
The four crew members who comprise the SpaceX Crew-6 mission are, from left, Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi. Photo credit: SpaceX

Managers from NASA and SpaceX, along with international partners, are gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today, Feb. 21, for the Crew-6 mission’s Flight Readiness Review (FRR) in preparation for the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

During the next several hours, the FRR will focus on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the flight, as well as the certification of flight readiness.

At the conclusion of the FRR, NASA will hold a media teleconference to discuss the outcome. The teleconference is slated to begin at approximately 6 p.m. today and includes the following participants:

  • Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
  • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
  • Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
  • Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
  • William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
  • Adnan AlRais, mission manager UAE Astronaut Mission 2, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre

Listen to audio of the teleconference streaming at: https://www.nasa.gov/live.

NASA and SpaceX continue to target no earlier than 2:07 a.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 26, for launch of Crew-6 from Kennedy. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, who will serve as mission commander and pilot, respectively, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will serve as mission specialists, to the microgravity laboratory.

NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 Events, Launch

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 launch from Kennedy Space Center
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 5, 2022, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

Launch is targeted for 2:07 a.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 2:54 a.m., Monday, Feb. 27.

Crew arrival at Kennedy, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and docking coverage will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host audio-only news teleconferences following the agency’s flight and launch readiness reviews. Follow all live events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live

The Crew-6 launch 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 will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission.

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