A colorful sunset serves as the backdrop for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. Photo credit: SpaceX
Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2, from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A weather front across Central Florida over the next several days will bring significant cloud cover, isolated rain showers, and occasionally gusty winds. The primary weather concerns at launch will be isolated showers and thick clouds associated with the stalled front.
The Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, will launch to the International Space Station on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew remains in quarantine after NASA and SpaceX selected the updated launch opportunity due to unfavorable weather conditions forecast along the Dragon’s ascent corridor during earlier opportunities. In the unlikely case of an abort during launch or the flight of Dragon, the wind and wave conditions must be within acceptable conditions for the safe recovery of the crew and spacecraft.
Continue checking NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission blog for additional mission updates, or join the conversation on social media by following these accounts:
The SpaceX Crew-8 members (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are pictured in their pressure suits at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX
The Expedition 70 crew members will wait one more day to welcome the SpaceX Crew-8 mission due to unfavorable weather conditions forecasted at launch time. Meanwhile, the seven International Space Station residents stayed busy Thursday on orbital maintenance tasks while planning for the upcoming departure of four crewmates.
The SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft is now targeted to launch at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2. Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will take a short, automated trip to the station aboard Dragon and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
The Dragon and station hatches will open less than two hours later and the Crew-8 members will enter the Harmony module where the Expedition 70 septet will greet them. Shortly after that, the 11 astronauts and cosmonauts will call down to Earth to share welcome remarks with mission officials and family members. The Crew-8 foursome will officially become space station flight engineers beginning a six-month research mission aboard the orbital lab.
Back on the space station, lab maintenance topped the schedule on Thursday ensuring the orbital outpost remains in tip-top shape. The station crew also had time for some science work while also training to depart aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft.
NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli finalized air conditioning work inside the Quest airlock. They completed swapping components on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air. Afterward, they stowed tools and packed the obsolete gear for return to Earth. O’Hara then moved on and processed fiber optic samples being produced inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
Afterward, Moghbeli joined her Crew-7 crewmates Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov and prepared their return to Earth about a week after the Crew-8 mission arrives. The Crew-7 quartet practiced Dragon undocking procedures on computer tablets inside the spacecraft. The four crewmates also tried on a specialized garment that may ease their adjustment to Earth’s gravity after living for six months in weightlessness.
Earlier in the day, Mogensen cleaned his crew quarters inside Harmony then called down to Earth for a conference with mission managers from ESA (European Space Agency). Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) organized emergency equipment to get ready for the Crew-8 mission. Borisov studied spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crews may use on planetary missions.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began their morning reviewing procedures for an experiment to measure the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth. The duo from Roscosmos then spent the rest of the day working inside the Zarya module continuing to assemble cargo containers.
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from left to right, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Michael Barratt, pilot; Matthew Dominick, commander; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; are photographed inside the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a dress rehearsal on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in preparation for the Crew-8 mission. Photo credit: SpaceX
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station. Joint teams selected the updated launch opportunity due to unfavorable weather conditions forecast for Friday, March 1, in offshore areas along the flight track of the Dragon spacecraft. High wind and waves along the eastern seaboard have been observed and are forecast to continue through Saturday morning. In the unlikely case of an abort during launch or the flight of Dragon, the wind and wave conditions must be within acceptable conditions for the safe recovery of the crew and spacecraft.
The live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – will air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website at 7:15 p.m. EST. Docking coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 3, for a docking scheduled for approximately 2:10 p.m.
The seven-member Expedition 70 crew gathers for a dinner time portrait inside the International Space Station’s Unity module.
Eye checks and “anti-gravity” suits were the main human research topics for the Expedition 70 crew on Wednesday. The International Space Station residents also worked on standard maintenance tasks while getting ready for the next Commercial Crew swap.
Doctors are constantly monitoring astronauts’ health to ensure long-term mission success and ease their return to Earth’s gravity after months or years in space. Vision is a critical parameter as researchers explore space-caused pressure on the eyes due to fluids shifting toward the head. The same fluid shifts quickly reverse when an astronaut reenters Earth’s atmosphere causing blood pressure and stability issues. Doctors are studying methods to offset these symptoms and reduce the time it takes for crews to adapt to gravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara had her optical nerve, retina, and cornea scanned on Wednesday using standard medical imaging hardware. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa led the eye exams operating the optical gear in the Harmony module with assistance from doctors and technicians on the ground.
Earlier in the day, O’Hara wore a sensor-packed vest and headband, the Bio-Monitor gear from the Canadian Space Agency, being evaluated for their ability to comfortably monitor an astronaut’s health data. Furukawa continued setting up biology hardware for upcoming research inside the Kibo laboratory module.
Two cosmonauts, Nikolai Chub and Konstantin Borisov, tried on the lower body negative pressure suit again in the middle of the week exploring its potential to decrease fluid pressure in the head triggered by weightlessness. Doctors theorize the downward fluid shifts may help maintain a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure when returning to Earth.
Meanwhile, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) joined forces and spent the day inside the Quest airlock replacing advanced air conditioning equipment. The duo swapped hoses, seals, and a heat exchanger on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air.
Moghbeli and Mogensen, Commander and Pilot of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission, also continued packing gear for their return to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The duo along with Furukawa and Borisov are scheduled to depart the station ending their mission about one week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives.
Crew-8, led by Commander Matthew Dominick with Pilot Michael Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, have been given the go to launch to the station at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft. The Commercial Crew quartet will take an automated ride aboard Dragon for a docking to Harmony’s forward port at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
NASA and SpaceX are also targeting no earlier than mid-March for launch of the company’s 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During the NASA Administrator’s Briefing from Kennedy Space Center today, NASA’s International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano discussed the upcoming crew and cargo missions.
NASA astronauts (from left) Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli work on spacesuit maintenance inside the Quest airlock.
The Expedition 70 crew focused mainly on operational maintenance activities throughout Tuesday. The International Space Station residents also continued their exercise research among a host of other ongoing science experiments.
Airlock activities filled the day for NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli in the U.S. segment of the orbital lab. The duo started the day in the Tranquility module and finalized reconfiguring the NanoRacks Bishop airlock following a week of experimental robotic arm activities. Afterward, the NASA pair moved into the Quest airlock and serviced a pair of spacesuits then prepared Quest for upcoming advanced air conditioning work.
Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) worked inside the Columbus laboratory module during the morning swapping out life support gear. Later, he set up the Lumina radiation detection experiment hardware in Columbus that measures in real time the fluctuating radiation environment aboard the space station.
Finally, Furukawa spent the rest of Tuesday participating in the CIPHER experiment, a suite of 14 human research studies to understand the effects of weightlessness on the body. He began with deadlift exercises on the advanced resistive exercise device for one portion of the study. Next, he wore the Bio-Monitor vest and headband recording his physiological data then calibrated breathing gear. CIPHER is providing doctors vital insights that may help keep crews safe and healthy on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
All three astronauts and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov also spent an hour each throughout the day packing for their upcoming departure and return to Earth. The quartet will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft a week after the SpaceX Crew-8 members arrive. Crew-8 is due to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and dock to Harmony’s forward port on Saturday at 7 a.m.
Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent most of the day installing cargo containers inside the Zarya module. Kononenko later jogged on a treadmill while attached to electrodes and sensors for a regularly scheduled fitness assessment at the end of the day. Daily exercise aboard the station is necessary for crews to maintain bone and muscle health due to the lack of gravity. Borisov also worked on computer and ventilation maintenance in the station’s Roscosmos segment.
The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured shortly after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 25, 2024. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Human research, space physics, and airlock operations started the week for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members are counting down to their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost.
Exercising daily in space is critical to maintain crew health due to the effects of living long-term in weightlessness. Astronauts work out on specialized exercise gear designed specifically for the microgravity environment including a treadmill, an exercise cycle, and the advanced resistive exercise device. Doctors frequently monitor these exercise sessions while crew members are attached to sensors, electrodes, and breathing gear.
Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns pedaling on the exercise cycle Monday morning for a workout study. The duo exercised inside the Destiny laboratory module for the regularly scheduled aerobics and fitness test that measures heart and breathing rate.
Moghbeli then moved on and joined NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara to work on the NanoRacks Bishop airlock inside the Tranquility module. Both astronauts spent Monday afternoon reconfiguring Bishop after it was reattached to Tranquility following a week of experimental GITAI-S2 robotics tests. The autonomous robotic arm demonstration explores using automated robots to build habitats and spacecraft on future lunar and planetary missions. Furukawa also assisted with the airlock work after he inspected hatches in the U.S. segment of the space station.
Physics was also on the research schedule as O’Hara and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) serviced samples and hardware for a pair of different experiments. O’Hara swapped optic fiber samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox for an investigation exploring how to manufacture fiber optic cables superior to those produced on Earth. Mogensen replaced components inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a space fire safety experiment.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub had a fitness evaluation on Monday as he jogged on a treadmill with electrodes attached to his chest measuring his heart rate. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov tried on a suit being tested for its ability to help crew members adjust to Earth’s gravity after living for months or years in space.
Meanwhile, the space station is orbiting higher after the docked Progress 87 resupply ship fired its engines for over 17 minutes on Friday. The orbital reboost positions the station for next month’s launch of the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship and the departure of the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship.
Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members representing the SpaceX Crew-8 mission are at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing for their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Commander Matt Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will lift off aboard Dragon at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday. They will dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 6 a.m. on Saturday beginning a six-month space research mission on the orbital lab.
Mission managers with NASA, SpaceX, and international partners gather on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete a Flight Readiness Review for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned liftoff at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 7:30 p.m. EST to discuss the outcome of the review. Listen live on NASA’s website.
Participants in the teleconference are:
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Emily Nelson, chief flight director, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
Eric van der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA (European Space Agency)
Later tonight, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, will roll out to the pad at Launch Complex 39A. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the crew will participate in a rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of an integrated static fire test in preparation for liftoff.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, will fly to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon spacecraft. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-8 marks the ninth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and the eighth crew rotation mission to the space station since 2020.
Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, stand before members of the news media at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. The Crew-8 mission is slated to launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, powered by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
After departing via Gulfstream jet aircraft from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin just landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will begin final preparations for liftoff to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.
Crew-8 astronauts will be greeted shortly by NASA leaders for a brief welcome ceremony and media event, scheduled for about 2 p.m. EST with the following participants:
Jennifer Kunz, associate director, NASA Kennedy
Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, Commercial Crew Program
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick
NASA astronaut Michael Barratt
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps
Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin
The event is scheduled to be streamed live on Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts.
Crew-8 astronauts are scheduled to launch to the space station at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crew will spend several months living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in the fall of 2024.
This is the eighth crew rotation flight and the ninth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for CCP. 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.
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members are en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.
Crew-8 crewmates NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, departed by plane from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for the short flight to the Florida spaceport. The crew is expected to arrive at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility this afternoon.
Crew-8 astronauts will be greeted upon their arrival by leaders from NASA for a brief welcome ceremony targeted for approximately 2 p.m. EST. The event is scheduled to stream live, if weather permits, on Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts.
Meanwhile, NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives have gathered at Kennedy to participate in the agency’s Flight Readiness Review, which focuses on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the launch of Crew-8 and return of Crew-7. A teleconference is planned for later today, approximately one hour after the conclusion of the review. Be sure to follow along on our blog; additional details will be provided as the day progresses.
SpaceX Crew-8 is targeted to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, to the International Space Station.
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX
Crew members slated to fly aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission entered quarantine Friday evening in one of the last major milestones before they head to the Florida launch site to start their mission to the International Space Station.
The flight crew health stabilization process is a routine part of final preparations for all missions to the space station. Crew-8 members will spend the final two weeks before liftoff in quarantine to help ensure they are healthy and to protect the astronauts already on the space station from sickness. During quarantine, contact with other people is limited during the isolation time and most interactions are handled remotely, though family and some launch and flight team members are cleared before they interact with the crew during this timeframe.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the space station. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, for the launch of the Crew-8 mission.
Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the ninth human spaceflight as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The cadre will fly aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, which previously flew NASA’s SpaceX Demo Mission-2, Crew-2 and Crew-6, in addition to Axiom Mission 1, the first private astronaut mission to the microgravity laboratory.
Follow the commercial crew blog for the latest information on Crew-8 progress and flight readiness as reviews and milestones continue. 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.
