Suggested Searches

Commercial Crew Program

Viewing Posts from November 2021

View All Posts

    LIFTOFF! Crew-3 Astronauts Begin Their Journey to the Space Station

    The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 10, 2021.

    We have liftoff! At 9:03 p.m. EST, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft lit up the night sky at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending Crew-3 astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer on the start of a 22-hour journey to the International Space Station. Coming up in just …

    Read Full Post

    Up Next: Crew-3 Liftoff

    The mission patch for NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

    Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the crew, is now just five minutes away. Everything is proceeding according to schedule, and all is looking good for the Crew-3 launch!

    Read Full Post

    Crew-3 Remains on Schedule, Launch Less Than 15 Minutes Away

    The second stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is being loaded with liquid oxygen, and everything remains on track for a targeted 9:03 p.m. EST liftoff. Inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer. This will be the third spaceflight for Marshburn and the first for …

    Read Full Post

    Falcon 9 Fueling Underway

    The mission patch for NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

    The launch abort system for the Crew Dragon spacecraft has been armed, and fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket is underway. We’re now T-35 minutes from launch, and the rocket is being loaded with RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene). The rocket’s first stage also is being fueled with liquid oxygen, and a few minutes from now, …

    Read Full Post

    Crew Access Arm Retracts

    The crew access arm swings away from SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on Nov. 10, 2021, ahead of the agency's SpaceX Crew-3 launch.

    The crew access arm has retracted, and in just a few minutes, Crew Dragon Endurance’s launch escape system will be armed. This will allow the Crew-3 astronauts to escape safely in the unlikely event of an anomaly from the moment the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off until the time they reach orbit – a …

    Read Full Post

    Liftoff of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Mission About an Hour Away

    The mission patch for NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

    Liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying Crew-3 astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer, is now just a little under an hour away. The mission director has given the “go” for propellant loading, and about 10 minutes from now, the crew access arm will swing away from …

    Read Full Post

    Hatch Closed on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance

    NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts are seen inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft just before their seats were rotated into a launch position on Nov. 10, 2021.

    The hatch is now closed on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the crew. Liftoff of NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer is just a little under two hours away (9:03 p.m. EST) for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

    Read Full Post

    All Aboard! Astronauts Climb into Crew Dragon Endurance

    Technicians help secure NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts in their seats just after entering the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

    The Crew-3 astronauts are now boarding SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which they have named Endurance, for this mission. Before entering Endurance, each of the crew members signed their name on one of the walls inside the White Room – the connecting area between the crew access arm and the spacecraft. As the astronauts enter the …

    Read Full Post

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Astronauts Arrive at Launch Site

    The mission patch for NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

    NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer have arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft await liftoff. In the next few minutes, the crew will take the elevator up the pad’s launch tower …

    Read Full Post