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 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 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.
Orbital Plumbing, Foam Physics Wrap Week as Crew-8 Nears Launch
The SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft, circular star trails, and Earth’s atmospheric glow are pictured as the station orbited 263 miles above the north Atlantic Ocean.
More lab maintenance was on deck for the Expedition 70 crew as they worked on orbital plumbing and cleaned crew quarters throughout Friday. The seven orbital residents aboard the International Space Station also serviced a variety of science and electronics hardware while continuing to focus on the upcoming Commercial Crew swap.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module swapping out advanced hydraulic components inside the orbital outpost’s restroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. She was assisted by astronauts Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa helping uninstall then reinstall the station’s toilet returning it to operational status.
Moghbeli from NASA wrapped up her day cleaning her crew quarters inside the Harmony module. Earlier, Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) cleaned his crew quarters on the opposite side of Harmony from Moghbeli’s. The duo each spent about two-and-a-half hours cleaning the quarters’ vents, fans, air ducts, and sensors.
Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) began his shift in the Columbus laboratory module processing samples for a foam physics study potentially revealing phenomena not possible in Earth’s gravity. The experiment takes place inside Columbus’ Fluid Science Laboratory and explores the coarsening and coalescing of foams that may improve fire safety, water cleaning, and other space and Earthbound applications.
Mogensen, Moghbeli, and Furukawa, along with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, also continued packing personal items and station hardware throughout the day ahead of their upcoming departure aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The quartet is planned to undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port about a week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft.
Crew-8 is targeting its liftoff for 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Commercial Crew quartet, with Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, is due to arrive at the station at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday for an automated docking to Harmony’s forward port. The foursome will become station flight engineers living and working in space for a six-month research mission.
In the station’s Roscosmos segment, Borisov and fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub tried on a unique suit being tested for its ability to draw fluids pooled in a crew member’s upper body toward the legs and feet. Space-caused fluid shifts toward the upper body are known to create eye and head pressure, as well as the more familiar space condition known as “puffy-face.” Balancing body fluids in space may also help a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure adjust more quickly to the return to Earth’s gravity.
Chub later joined veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko testing video cameras being downlinked to mission controllers on Earth. The duo also familiarized themselves with hardware that measures the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth and when spaceships dock and undock.
Maintenance Day Aboard Station as Crew-8 Launch Moves
The SpaceX Crew-8 members (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are pictured in their pressure suits at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX
The Expedition 70 crew members will wait one more day to welcome the SpaceX Crew-8 mission due to unfavorable weather conditions forecasted at launch time. Meanwhile, the seven International Space Station residents stayed busy Thursday on orbital maintenance tasks while planning for the upcoming departure of four crewmates.
The SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft is now targeted to launch at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2. Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will take a short, automated trip to the station aboard Dragon and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
The Dragon and station hatches will open less than two hours later and the Crew-8 members will enter the Harmony module where the Expedition 70 septet will greet them. Shortly after that, the 11 astronauts and cosmonauts will call down to Earth to share welcome remarks with mission officials and family members. The Crew-8 foursome will officially become space station flight engineers beginning a six-month research mission aboard the orbital lab.
Back on the space station, lab maintenance topped the schedule on Thursday ensuring the orbital outpost remains in tip-top shape. The station crew also had time for some science work while also training to depart aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft.
NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli finalized air conditioning work inside the Quest airlock. They completed swapping components on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air. Afterward, they stowed tools and packed the obsolete gear for return to Earth. O’Hara then moved on and processed fiber optic samples being produced inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
Afterward, Moghbeli joined her Crew-7 crewmates Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov and prepared their return to Earth about a week after the Crew-8 mission arrives. The Crew-7 quartet practiced Dragon undocking procedures on computer tablets inside the spacecraft. The four crewmates also tried on a specialized garment that may ease their adjustment to Earth’s gravity after living for six months in weightlessness.
Earlier in the day, Mogensen cleaned his crew quarters inside Harmony then called down to Earth for a conference with mission managers from ESA (European Space Agency). Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) organized emergency equipment to get ready for the Crew-8 mission. Borisov studied spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crews may use on planetary missions.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began their morning reviewing procedures for an experiment to measure the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth. The duo from Roscosmos then spent the rest of the day working inside the Zarya module continuing to assemble cargo containers.
