At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency), and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos are preparing for their launch to the International Space Station. Their journey to the station will begin with a lift off at 7:12 a.m. EDT Wednesday (4:12 p.m. in Baikonur). Live launch coverage will begin at 6:15 a.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
The three will join Expedition 56 commander Drew Feustel and flight engineers Ricky Arnold of NASA and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos. The Expedition 56 crew members will contribute to more than 250 experiments in fields such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development.
Below is the crew’s launch timeline in EDT:
EDT L-Hr/M/Sec Event
10:12:41pm 9:00 Crew wakeup at Cosmonaut Hotel (June 5)
1:12:41am 6:00 Crew departs Cosmonaut Hotel
1:27:41am 5:45 Batteries installed in booster
1:57:41am 5:15 Crew arrives at Site 254
2:12:41am 5:00 Tanking begins
2:42:41am 4:30 Crew suit up
3:07:41am 4:05 Booster loaded with liquid Oxygen
3:42:41am 3:30 Crew meets family members on other side of the glass
4:07:41am 3:05 First and second stage oxygen fueling complete
4:12:41am 3:00 Crew walkout from 254 and boards bus for the launch pad
4:17:41am 2:55 Crew departs for launch pad (Site 1)
4:37:41am 2:35 Crew arrives at launch pad (Site 1)
4:47:41am 2:25 Crew boards Soyuz; strapped in to the Descent module
5:37:41am 1:35 Descent module hardware tested
5:52:41am 1:20 Hatch closed; leak checks begin
6:12:41am 1:00 Launch vehicle control system prep; gyro activation
6:15:00am :57:41 NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE BEGINS
6:27:41am :45:00 Pad service structure components lowered
6:28:41am :44:00 Clamshell gantry service towers retracted
6:30:00am :42:41 NASA TV: Crew pre-launch activities played (B-roll)
6:35:41am :37:00 Suit leak checks begin; descent module testing complete
6:38:41am :34:00 Emergency escape system armed
6:57:41am :15:00 Suit leak checks complete; escape system to auto
7:02:41am :10:00 Gyros in flight readiness and recorders activated
7:05:41am :07:00 Pre-launch operations complete
7:06:41am :06:00 Launch countdown operations to auto; vehicle ready
7:07:41am :05:00 Commander’s controls activated
7:08:41am :04:00 Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
7:09:41am :03:00 Propellant drainback
7:09:56am :02:45 Booster propellant tank pressurization
7:11:11am :01:30 Ground propellant feed terminated
7:11:41am :01:00 Vehicle to internal power
7:12:06am :00:35 First umbilical tower separates
Auto sequence start
7:12:11am :00:30 Ground umbilical to third stage disconnected
7:12:26am :00:15 Second umbilical tower separates
7:12:29am :00:12 Launch command issued
Engine Start Sequence Begins
7:12:31am :00:10 Engine turbo pumps at flight speed
7:12:36am :00:05 Engines at maximum thrust
7:12:41am :00:00 LAUNCH OF SOYUZ MS-09 TO THE ISS
7:21:26am +8:45 THIRD STAGE SHUTDOWN; SOYUZ ORBITAL INSERTION
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs-stage-old.nasawestprime.com/spacestation/. Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram at: @iss and on Twitter @Space_Station and @ISS_Research.