The crew access arm has retracted, and momentarily the Dragon spacecraft’s launch escape system will be armed. This will allow the Crew-8 crew members to escape safely in the unlikely event of an anomaly from the moment the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off until the time they reach orbit – a timespan of roughly 12 minutes.
Propellant loading is expected to begin shortly.
The confirmation that Dragon is “go” for launch just came through. In just a few minutes, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage will be loaded with rocket grade kerosene, called RP-1, and liquid oxygen. Then, the second stage will be loaded with liquid oxygen.
The SpaceX closeout team has left the crew access arm, which will soon retract away from the Dragon spacecraft. Launch, set for 10:53 p.m. EST, is now a little less than an hour away. Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron now predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff.
Stay with us here on the blog as the countdown continues. We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this historic mission. On NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, there is continuous live coverage of important Crew-8 activities.
Read the Crew-8 Mission Overview for a summary of the mission. Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.
During their time on the International Space Station, the members of Crew-8 will conduct new scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth.
Experiments include using stem cells to create organoid models to study degenerative diseases, studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plants at a cellular level, and testing whether wearing pressure cuffs on the legs could prevent fluid shifts and reduce health problems in astronauts. These are just a few of the more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations taking place during their mission.
While aboard the orbiting laboratory, the members of Crew-8 will see the arrival of both the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress cargo spacecraft. Crew-8 also is expected to welcome the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts. A Soyuz spacecraft with three new crew members, including NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, will also launch during their stay, and the Soyuz carrying NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will return to Earth.
Commercial crew missions enable NASA to maximize use of the space station, where astronauts have lived and worked continuously for more than 23 years testing technologies, performing research, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted on the space station provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration trips to the Moon and beyond through NASA’s Artemis campaign.
With communication checks complete, the hatch now is closed on 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. Liftoff for Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin is two hours away at 10:53 p.m. EST.
Weather trends continue to improve, and launch is now 85% “go.” Flight through precipitation and the anvil cloud rule serve as the main weather concerns.
The crew has finished executing communication checks with the launch team, and their seats have been rotated into position for launch.
For additional live launch coverage of the Crew-8 mission, watch now on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, or the agency’s website, and follow along on the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.
The Crew-8 crew members now are boarding SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.
Before entering their spacecraft, all four crewmates 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 to the Gemini program. To honor tradition, the room is still painted white today.
As the crew enters Dragon, their seats are configured in an upright position. Once the crew is securely inside, the seats will be rotated into a reclined position for launch, just before teams close Dragon’s side hatch, coming up near the end of the hour.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, have arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, where SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, stands ready for launch. Liftoff is slated for 10:53 p.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 Dragon.
Since the late 1960s, pads A and B at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 have supported America’s major space programs, with Pad A used most frequently for launches under the Space Shuttle Program. After the retirement of the shuttle in 2011, Pad A helped usher in a new era of human spaceflight as launch pad for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which returned human spaceflight capability to the United States. Pad B saw the launch of NASA’s Artemis I mission in November 2022 and will continue to be the primary launch pad for America’s efforts to return to humans the Moon.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, departed Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and are now on their way across the spaceport to Launch Pad 39A.
After waving to family, friends, and the support team members gathered to see them off on their journey, the Crew-8 crew climbed into their customized Tesla Model X vehicles for the 20-minute ride to the launch pad.
The crew’s vehicles are traveling in the middle of a convoy that includes support team members and security personnel. At the launch site, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, stand ready for the crew’s arrival.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 flight crew just walked out of the double doors below the Neil A. Armstrong Building’s Astronaut Crew Quarters and made their way to the customized Tesla Model X cars that will take them to their spacecraft.
The Crew-8 mission will fly aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endeavour, previously supported NASA’s Demo-2, Crew-2, and Crew-6, as well as Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 1 flights to and from the International Space Station. As part of the refurbishment process, teams installed new components, including the heat shield, parachutes, Draco engines, and nosecone.
