The strongback support structure for the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft has been retracted to launch position.
Month: February 2017
Second Stage Thrust Vectoring Issue in Work
NASA Launch Commentator George Diller reports that the SpaceX launch team is watching a thrust vectoring system issue as the countdown continues toward a liftoff at 10:01 a.m. EST. All other countdown processes are continuing as planned.
SAGE III
Bolted inside the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft if s 2,200-pound instrument that will be connected to the outside of the International Space Station during CRS-10 to collect data about Earth’s upper atmosphere. The instrument is called SAGE III and it will provide the latest data as part of NASA’s SAGE program, short for Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment. The program is one of the agency’s longest running Earth-observing efforts. It’s providing long-term data to help scientists better understand and care for Earth’s atmosphere.
The first SAGE instrument began operation in 1979 following the Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM), on the Apollo-Soyuz mission. SAGE III will measure stratospheric ozone, aerosols, and other trace gases by locking onto the sun or moon and scanning a thin profile of the atmosphere. There is much more to the SAGE III story, and you can read about it in the program’s press kit at http://go.nasa.gov/2lv3AEZ.
LOX Loading Begins
The SpaceX launch team began pumping super-cold liquid oxygen into the Falcon 9 rocket this morning as we continue to work toward liftoff at 10:01 a.m. EST. The Falcon’s Merlin engines combine the oxygen with refined kerosene fuel to generate thrust to lift the Dragon spacecraft and its 5,500 pounds of cargo off the launch pad and then accelerate it to an orbital velocity of about 17,500 mph.
Fueling Begins
RP-1 fuel, a refined kerosene, has begun flowing into the fuel tanks of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for today’s launch at 10:01 a.m. Later, the rocket will be loaded with liquid oxygen that will be mixed with the kerosene to power the rocket’s nine first stage engines and single second stage engine to place the Dragon spacecraft into orbit on its way to the station.
Weather Officer Reports Favorable Trend
Launch Weather Officer Mike McAleenan of the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron advised the launch teams that the weather should continue to be favorable for today’s liftoff of the SpaceX CRS-10 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forecast continues to call for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. Today’s launch remains on schedule for 10:01 a.m. EST in an instantaneous launch window. The SpaceX launch conductor just received the ‘go’ from his teams to begin fueling the 229-foot-tall rocket.
A New Dawn for LC-39A
Today’s launch will mark a rebirth of spaceflight from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The American gateway to space was built for the needs of the massive Saturn V rocket and Apollo spacecraft that carried astronauts to the surface of the moon. The launch pad was modified for the space shuttle fleet and hosted the first shuttle mission in 1981, the last in 2011 and scores of history-making flights in between. SpaceX completed more modifications recently and built new structures to support the company’s Falcon line of rockets including the Falcon 9 scheduled to launch today. Take a closer look at the LC-39A legacy in the video below.
Welcome to Kennedy Space Center for CRS-10 Launch!
Welcome to our live coverage of the countdown and launch of the SpaceX CRS-10 mission to the International Space Station! Launch remains on track for 10:01 a.m. EST this morning from Launch Complex 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The weather outlook continues to call for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. You can tune in to NASA TV for commentary coverage as well, or watch it here on the blog.
The CRS-10 mission calls for an uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carry about 5,500 pounds of science experiments and equipment along with crew supplies and other materials to the orbiting laboratory. Astronauts living in orbit will unload the Dragon once it reaches the station and then fill it with spent experiments and other gear no longer needed on the station.
After the launch team conducts a readiness poll, fueling will begin for the Falcon 9 rocket that will lift a Dragon spacecraft into orbit and on its way to the station. A refined kerosene called RP-1 will be pumped into the Falcon 9’s fuel tanks first, then liquid oxygen will be loaded aboard in its own tanks.
The Falcon 9’s Merlin engines – nine on the first stage – will burn a combination of the propellants to generate 1.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. A single Merlin engine that also burns kerosene and liquid oxygen will take over when the second stage separates about 2 1/2 minutes into the flight to push the Dragon into its proper orbit to catch up to the space station.
Today’s Countdown
Launch Day will soon dawn here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand at Launch Complex 39A for today’s liftoff on a mission delivering supplies and science gear to the International Space Station. The forecast continues to call for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time, set for 10:01 a.m. EST. Our continuous countdown and launch coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. here and on NASA TV.
Launch and mission operations teams from SpaceX and NASA will be on station throughout the countdown and ascent into space. After reaching orbit and separating from the Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft will take about two days to catch up with the space station. The robotic arm on the station will be used to capture the uncrewed spacecraft and move it into position on a docking port on the orbiting laboratory.
Here is how this morning’s countdown will proceed:
T- 01:18:00 Launch Conductor takes launch readiness poll
– 00:70:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading underway
– 00:45:00 LOX (liquid oxygen) loading underway
– 00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
– 00:02:00 Range Control Officer (USAF) verifies range is go for launch
– 00:01:30 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
– 00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
– 00:01:00 Pressurize propellant tanks
– 00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
Photo credit: SpaceX
The Launch Day Ahead
Our launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-10 mission will begin at 8:30 a.m. EST on NASA TV and here on the NASA Launch Blog leading up to liftoff, which is scheduled for 10:01 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 is being prepped to launch the company’s Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying about 5,500 pounds of equipment and experiments to the International Space Station. For a look at the mission including some of the payloads, read our launch preview at http://go.nasa.gov/2lnx2wb
And don’t forget you can tune in to NASA TV at 5 p.m. today for the latest status update from the pre-launch news briefing from Kennedy. See you tomorrow morning! Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson