A Look at Today’s Launch Milestones
With launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission just a few hours away, here are some of the key milestones and critical events leading up to launch and after liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off at 11:43 a.m. EDT from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Time Event (All times approximate)
7:44 a.m. Suit donning and checkouts
8:20 a.m. Crew walkout from Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
8:25 a.m. Crew transportation to launch pad
8:45 a.m. Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
9:08 a.m. Crew enters SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
9:24 a.m. Communication check
9:29 a.m. Seat rotation
9:34 a.m. Suit leak checks
9:48 a.m. Hatch close
10:58 a.m. SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
11:01 a.m. Crew access arm retracts
11:04 a.m. Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
11:08 a.m. RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
11:08 a.m. 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
11:27 a.m. 2nd stage LOX loading begins
11:36 a.m. Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
11:38 a.m. Dragon transitions to internal power
11:42 a.m. Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
11:42 a.m. Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
11:42 a.m. SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
11:43 a.m. Falcon 9 liftoff
11:44 a.m. Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
11:45 a.m. 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
11:45 a.m. 1st and 2nd stages separate
11:45 a.m. 2nd stage engine starts
11:46 a.m. 1st stage entry burn starts
11:46 a.m. 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
11:52 a.m. Dragon separates from 2nd stage
11:53 a.m. Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
NASA’s live coverage of Crew-11 launch activities is airing now on NASA+. You also can follow along on the mission blog, @NASAKennedy on X, or NASA Kennedy on Facebook.
