Month: December 2019

SpaceX’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission is set to launch at 12:51 p.m. EST today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The company’s uncrewed Dragon spacecraft – launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket – will deliver research, supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

Weather officials continue to predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., join us here on the blog for live coverage, and follow along on NASA TV or the agency’s website for the live launch broadcast.

Here’s a look at today’s countdown and ascent milestones. All times are approximate:

COUNTDOWN
Hour/Min/Sec – Events
-00:38:00 – SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
-00:35:00 – RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene) loading begins
-00:35:00 – 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
-00:16:00 – 2nd stage LOX loading begins
-00:07:58 – Dragon transitions to internal power
-00:01:00 – Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
-00:01:00 – Propellant tanks pressurize for flight
-00:00:45 – SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
-00:00:03 – Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
-00:00:00 – Falcon 9 liftoff

LAUNCH, LANDING AND DRAGON DEPLOYMENT
Hour/Min/Sec – Event
00:01:18 – Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:31 – 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:34 – 1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:42 – 2nd stage engine starts
00:02:47 – 1st stage boostback burn begins
00:06:11 – 1st stage entry burn begins
00:07:48 – 1st stage landing
00:08:35 – 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO)
00:09:35 – Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:02 – Dragon’s solar arrays deploy
02:19:00 – Dragon’s Guidance, Navigation and Control bay door opens

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the Dragon spacecraft, is ready for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s CRS-19 mission to the International Space Station. Following today’s prelaunch news conference, liftoff remains on track for 12:51 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

“As of now, we’re tracking no issues on Falcon 9, none on Dragon, and we’re on track with regards to timeline,” said Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX.

Weather officials are predicting a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with primary concerns revolving around liftoff winds and upper-level winds.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day tomorrow, just a little chilly in the morning, but we’re hoping that we can get through those upper-level winds,” said Mike McAleenan, a launch weather officer with the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing. “We may see some patchy fog or stratus around, but that will definitely burn off in time for launch, so we should have some pretty good viewing out there.”

Live launch coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. EST tomorrow, Dec. 4, on NASA TV and the agency’s website, as well as here on the blog. CRS-19 will deliver supplies, equipment and material that will directly support dozens of science and research investigations that will take place during Expeditions 61 and 62.

Also being carried by the Dragon spacecraft is the Japanese government’s Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI), a next-generation, hyperspectral Earth imaging system.

Learn more about the mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spx19-research/

Tune in to NASA TV and the agency’s website at 1:30 p.m. EST today to watch the NASA Social What’s on Board science briefing, highlighting some of the research that will take place on CRS-19, airing from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Then, stay tuned for the prelaunch news conference, beginning at 4 p.m., and hear from officials with the International Space Station Program Science Office, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing.

Launch of SpaceX’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission to the International Space Station is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 12:51 p.m. EST. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying the Dragon spacecraft that will deliver supplies, equipment and material to the space station. Dragon is slated to arrive at the station on Dec. 7 and will be captured by Expedition 61 crewmembers. Following capture, ground controllers will take over to install the spacecraft to the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port.

Learn more about some of the research and experiments taking place on CRS-19 at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spx19-research

NASA’s commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 12:51 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 4, for the launch of its 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station. The uncrewed Dragon spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the primary concern being wind at the time of liftoff.

The Dragon is filled with supplies and materials that will directly support dozens of science and research investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. It also will carry the Japanese government’s Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI), a next-generation, hyperspectral Earth imaging system.

Follow live coverage of the CRS-19 mission and prelaunch events here on the blog, NASA TV and the agency’s website:

• 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 – NASA Social, What’s on Board science briefing highlighting research taking place on CRS-19
• 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 – Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from the International Space Station Program Science Office, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing
• 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 – Launch countdown coverage begins

Learn more about station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.