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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Launch Milestones

Image shows a night time sky with a white SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and spacecraft at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for the Crew-12 mission. Photo credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top stands vertical on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 launch.
SpaceX

NASA and its partner SpaceX will be tracking several milestones leading up to the launch of the agency’s SpaceX mission to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off at 5:15 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Time             Event (All times Eastern Standard Time and subject to change)
1:15 a.m. | Suit donning and checkouts
1:51 a.m. | Crew walkout from Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
1:56 a.m. | Crew transportation to launch pad
2:16 a.m. | Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
2:39 a.m. | Crew enters SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
2:55 a.m. | Communication check
3:00 a.m. | Seat rotation
3:05 a.m. | Suit leak checks
3:20 a.m. | Hatch close
4:30 a.m. | SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
4:33 a.m. | Crew access arm retracts
4:36 a.m. | Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
4:40 a.m. | RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
4:40 a.m. | 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
4:59 a.m. | 2nd stage LOX loading begins
5:08 a.m. | Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
5:10 a.m. | Dragon transitions to internal power
5:14 a.m. | Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
5:14 a.m. | Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
5:14 a.m. | SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
5:14 a.m. | Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
5:15 a.m. | Falcon 9 liftoff
5:16 a.m. | Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
5:17 a.m. | 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
5:17 a.m. | 1st and 2nd stages separate
5:17 a.m. | Stage 1 flip
5:17 a.m. | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
5:17 a.m. | Boostback burn starts
5:18 a.m. | Boostback burn ends
5:21 a.m. | 1st stage entry burn begins
5:21 a.m. | 1st stage entry burn ends
5:22 a.m. | 1st stage landing burn begins
5:22 a.m. | 1st stage landing
5:23 a.m. | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
5:24 a.m. | Dragon separates from 2nd stage
5:25 a.m. | Dragon nosecone open sequence begins

You also can follow along on the mission blog, @NASAKennedy on X, or NASA Kennedy on Facebook.