Kennedy Space Center

NASA, SpaceX Target Crew-8 Launch for Sunday, March 3 on Weather Concerns

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 10:53 p.m. EST Sunday, March 3, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch attempt March 2 was postponed due to unfavorable conditions in the flight path of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.

NASA will provide coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m., March 3, of the upcoming launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

The Crew-8 launch will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the orbital laboratory. The targeted docking time is about 3 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Sunday, March 3:
6:45 p.m. – Launch coverage begins
10:53 p.m. – Launch

Following conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA coverage will continue with audio only, with full coverage resuming at the start of the rendezvous and docking broadcast.

NASA Television will resume continuous mission coverage prior to docking and continue through hatch open and the welcome ceremony. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/

12:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV

Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

Tuesday, March 5:
1 a.m. – NASA TV arrival coverage begins
3 a.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module

Hatch opening will be approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes after docking followed by welcome remarks aboard station. All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

More details about the Crew-8 mission can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Suits Up for Launch

One Russian cosmonaust and three astronauts, three men and one woman, stand next to each other to pose for a photo. — 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: SpaceX

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 in the suit room 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.

A Look at Key Milestones for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission

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 ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA Television

Below are some of the key milestones leading up to the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, as well as some critical events that occur after liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off a little more than four hours from now at 11:16 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Time Event (All times approximate)
6:56 p.m. Crew weather brief
7:11 p.m. Crew handoff to SpaceX
7:16 p.m. Suit donning and checkouts
7:56 p.m. Crew walkout from Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
8:01 p.m. Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
8:21 p.m. Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
8:41 p.m. Crew ingress
8:46 p.m. Communication check
8:47 p.m. Seat rotation
8:48 p.m. Suit leak checks
9:21 p.m. Hatch close
10:31 p.m. SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
10:34 p.m. Crew access arm retracts
10:37 p.m. Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
10:41 p.m. RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
10:41 p.m. 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
11:00 p.m. 2nd stage LOX loading begins
11:09 p.m. Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
11:11 p.m. Dragon transitions to internal power
11:15 p.m. Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
11:15 p.m. Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
11:15 p.m. SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
11:16 p.m. Falcon 9 liftoff
11:17 p.m. Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
11:18 p.m. 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
11:18 p.m. 1st and 2nd stages separate
11:18 p.m. 2nd stage engine starts
11:19 p.m. Boostback Burn Starts
11:22 p.m. Boostback Burn Ends
11:22 p.m. 1st stage entry burn starts
11:23 p.m. 1st stage entry burn ends
11:23 p.m. 1st stage landing burn starts
11:23 p.m. 1st stage landing
11:25 p.m. 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
11:28 p.m. Dragon separates from 2nd stage
11:29 p.m. Dragon nosecone open sequence begins

NASA’s live coverage of the Crew-8 launch is airing now on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, and you can follow along on the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook for continuous coverage of important Crew-8 launch activities.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Coverage is Underway!

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, as preparations continue for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is slated to carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 2. — 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 on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission – the eighth crew rotation flight and the ninth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Launch weather officers from the U.S. Space’s Force 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are flight through precipitation and the thick cloud cover.

Launch is scheduled for 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here at Kennedy, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the company’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, awaits liftoff just after midnight. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, will fly to the space station aboard Dragon, which previously flew NASA’s SpaceX Demo Mission-2, Crew-2 and Crew-6, in addition to Axiom Mission 1, the first commercial astronaut mission to the microgravity laboratory.

The countdown is proceeding according to schedule. At Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, the astronauts have eaten and will undergo medical checks and get a final weather briefing before suiting up.

Starting at 7:15 p.m. EST, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website there will be continuous live coverage of important Crew-8 activities.

Stay with us as the countdown continues. We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this mission. 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 Boeing Crew Flight Test Stacking Up For Launch

Crews raise a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to a vertical position at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are readying the rocket that will launch the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands vertical, awaiting integration with the rocket’s Centaur upper stage and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner after moving inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

The ULA Atlas V rocket was moved into the company’s Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, which starts the preparations for its stacking operations ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

The rocket’s main stage was transferred from the nearby Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center to the integration facility Wednesday, Feb. 21, where it will await integration with the rocket’s upper Centaur stage and Starliner. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the orbiting laboratory for a short stay of about one to two weeks before returning to a landing site in the southwest United States.

The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and a return to Earth. After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

NASA and Boeing are targeting no earlier than late April for launch. Starliner completed two uncrewed flight tests, including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the space station on May 21, 2022, and provided valuable data leading up to its first crewed flight.

Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.

Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite Delayed

Technicians monitor movement and guide NOAA’s Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) as a crane hoists it on to a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than May 2024 for the launch of the fourth and final satellite in NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, GOES-U. The new date allows for additional testing and preparation of a new Falcon Heavy center core booster after a liquid oxygen leak was discovered during routine new booster testing.

NOAA oversees the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office, managing the ground system, operating the satellites, and distributing their data to users worldwide. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the acquisition of the spacecraft and instruments and also built the Magnetometer instrument for GOES-T and GOES-U. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center manages the launch services for the GOES missions. Lockheed Martin designs, builds, and tests the GOES-R series satellites. L3Harris Technologies provides the primary instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, along with the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data reception.

NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Flight Readiness Review Concludes, Teleconference to Follow

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)
Takayoshi Nishikawa, director, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Houston Office

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.

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 Astronauts Touch Down at Florida Spaceport

Crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station stand before members of the news media at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. — 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.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts Depart Houston for Florida

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.

NASA, SpaceX Target Late February for Crew-8 Launch to Station

Official SpaceX Crew-8 portrait with Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all three NASA astronauts. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:49 a.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 28, for the launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station. The launch of Crew-8 was adjusted to deconflict operations with Intuitive Machines’ IM-1, the company’s first lunar lander mission to the Moon as part NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, currently targeted for Wednesday, Feb. 14. NASA and SpaceX will continue to assess Crew-8 readiness and may adjust the Crew-8 launch date following a successful IM-1 launch.

“The Commercial Crew Program has been following along with the IM-1 mission preparations, and we are wishing the Intuitive Machines and SpaceX teams all the best ahead of this extremely complex mission to the lunar surface,” said Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the space station. Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to station, and the ninth human spaceflight as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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.