Dragon is ’Go’ for Launch; Falcon 9 Fueling Underway

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

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.

Liftoff Now Just an Hour Away

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen during sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-8 mission, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA Television

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.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Will Help Conduct Science, Research on Station

The Veno-constrictive Thigh Cuffs during Spaceflight (Thigh Cuff) examines whether tight cuffs on the legs change the way fluid moves around inside the body. If so, the cuffs could serve as a countermeasure against the problems associated with fluid shifts during spaceflight.
Some of the scientific research Crew-8 will conduct on the International Space Station includes the Veno-constrictive Thigh Cuffs during Spaceflight (Thigh Cuff), which examines whether tight cuffs on the legs change the way fluid moves around inside the body. If so, the cuffs could serve as a countermeasure against the problems associated with fluid shifts during spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

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.

Hatch Closed on SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

The hatch on Dragon Endeavour is closed ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch.
The hatch on Dragon Endeavour is closed ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

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.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Secured Inside Dragon Spacecraft, Ready for Hatch Closure

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, wave as they participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, to prepare for the upcoming Crew-8 launch to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program from Launch Complex 39A is targeted for 10:53 p.m. on Sunday, March 3.
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, prepare for the Crew-8 launch to the International Space Station from Launch Complex on Sunday, March 3. Photo credit: NASA Television

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.

All Aboard! Astronauts Climb into Dragon Endeavour

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 crew members enter Dragon Endeavour ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members enter Dragon Endeavour ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

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 Flight Crew Arrive at Launch Site

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA Television

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 Suited, Ready for Their Ride to Launch Pad 39A

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.
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. Photo Credit: NASA Television

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.

Meet NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Crew

Official SpaceX Crew-8 portrait, from right to left, NASA astronauts Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Pilot Michael Barratt, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

Matthew Dominick will serve as commander for Crew-8, his first spaceflight, after being selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2017. He is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego, California, and a master’s in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is an active-duty U.S. Navy astronaut. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, and then served as a test pilot specializing in testing aircraft carriers’ landings and catapult launches.

Michael Barratt is the Crew-8 pilot, making his third visit to the International Space Station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19/20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. He has spent a total of 212 days in space. Born in Vancouver, Washington, he considers Camas, Washington, to be his hometown. Barratt earned a bachelor’s in zoology from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. He completed residencies in internal and aerospace medicine at Northwestern along with a master’s degree at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. After nine years as a NASA flight surgeon and project physician, Barratt joined the astronaut corps in 2000.

Jeanette Epps was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. She serves as mission specialist aboard Crew-8, her first spaceflight, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She is from Syracuse, New York, and earned a bachelor’s in physics from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, and a master’s in science and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. Prior to joining NASA, she worked at Ford Motor Co. and the Central Intelligence Agency. She has served on the Generic Joint Operation Panel working on space station crew efficiency, as a crew support astronaut for two expeditions, and as lead capsule communicator at NASA Johnson. Epps previously was assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA reassigned Epps to allow Boeing time to complete development of Starliner while also continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for future mission needs.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who graduated from Irkutsk High Military Aviation School, Irkutsk, Russia, majoring in engineering, maintenance, and repair of aircraft radio navigation systems, also is flying on his first mission. He graduated from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in radio communications, broadcasting, and television. Grebenkin will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 70/71 aboard the International Space Station.

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.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Suits Up for Launch

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 crew members suit up ahead of launch on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members suit up ahead of launch on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

For the second time in two days, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, are suiting up in the astronaut crew quarters inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

A team of SpaceX suit technicians will help them as they put on their custom-fitted spacesuits and check for leaks. Designed for safety and functionality, the spacesuits supply pressurization, protecting the crew from potential depressurization, and a port located on the thigh connects to life support systems, including air and power. Also included in the suits are touchscreen-compatible gloves and a flame-resistant outer layer.

Watch now on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, where NASA is providing live coverage of key milestones leading up to launch and through ascent following liftoff.