Category: Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, as the spacecraft continues its journey to the International Space Station to deliver critical supplies, equipment, and material to support multiple science and research experiments that will take place aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Dragon is expected to arrive at the space station around 7:52 a.m. EDT Thursday, March 16, docking to the station’s Harmony port – recently vacated by SpaceX’s crewed Dragon, named Endurance, which returned NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crew members Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata, and Anna Kikina to Earth on March 11.

The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage sticks the landing, touching down on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean. Today’s launch marked the seventh flight for this Falcon 9, and it is the second Dragon flight to the International Space Station this year – the first occurring just under two weeks ago.

Coming up next, Dragon will separate from the rocket’s second stage to continue its journey to the space station.

The nine Merlin engines in the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage have finished their burn, and the first stage has separated from the vehicle. As the second stage continues carrying Dragon on its journey, the first stage will attempt landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” just off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. That landing is coming up in just over five minutes.

Liftoff! At 8:30 p.m. EDT, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rumbled off the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, starting Dragon’s two-day journey to the International Space Station.

Dragon will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for Expedition 68 and 69 crews currently aboard the orbiting laboratory. Coming up in the next minute, the Falcon 9 will pass through Max Q – the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket. At about two minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff, the main engine in the rocket’s first stage will shut off, followed by the first and second stages separating.

Watch a replay of the launch below.

Launch preparations are well underway, and the countdown remains on track for SpaceX’s 27th cargo resupply launch for NASA to the International Space Station. Just 10 minutes from now, at 8:30 p.m. EDT, the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending the uncrewed Dragon on its way to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft will deliver critical supplies and equipment that will support dozens of the science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 68 and 69.

Coming up in the next few minutes, the Falcon 9 will begin its prelaunch engine chill, which involves flowing a small amount of the super-cold liquid oxygen (LOX) into the Merlin engines’ turbo pumps to avoid thermally shocking the system when the full flow of LOX runs through them.

Following that, Dragon will transition to internal power and the command flight computer will begin its final prelaunch checks, culminating with the SpaceX launch director verifying we are “go” for launch.

This is SpaceX’s second flight to the space station this year – the first, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, took place just under two weeks ago, sending NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

As a reminder, NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website continue to provide live coverage of tonight’s launch.

 

• This is the seventh flight of this SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
• Tonight’s launch marks SpaceX’s second Dragon launch of 2023 and the company’s 216th mission overall
• This is the third flight for this uncrewed Dragon spacecraft
• Teams plan to recover the Falcon 9’s first stage following its return to Earth – if successful, this will be the 178th recovery of an orbital class rocket
• Tonight’s recovery operations are being managed by an all-female crew stationed on SpaceX’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” off the coast of Florida

Hello from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida! A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands ready for liftoff at historic Launch Complex 39A. Tonight’s launch is SpaceX’s 27th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, delivering more than 6,000 pounds of supplies, equipment, and research to the crew aboard the International Space Station. NASA is providing live coverage of the launch – watch now on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Liftoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT, just 30 minutes away, and weather is looking great at 90% “go” for launch. Tonight’s launch is a coordinated effort, with launch controllers here in Florida working closely with teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX’s control center in Hawthorne, California.

Fueling of the Falcon 9 began approximately 20 minutes ago, with liquid oxygen flowing into the rocket’s first stage. In the next few minutes, fueling of the second stage will begin.

Here’s a full look at tonight’s countdown and ascent milestones. All times (EDT) are approximate:

COUNTDOWN 
Hr/Min/Sec        Event
– 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
– 00:07:00             Falcon 9 begins prelaunch engine chill
– 00:05:00             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
Hr/Min/Sec        Event
00:01:12                Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:24               1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:28               1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:35               2nd stage engine starts
00:05:44               1st stage entry burn begins
00:07:36               1st stage landing
00:08:38               2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO)
00:11:34                Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:22                Dragon nosecone open sequence begins