Suggested Searches

3 min read

Wallops Providing Telemetry Support for Historic U.S. Astronaut Launch

demo-2_nasa-logo-20200401-img_4007.jpg

When the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station in nine years occurs, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will play its part renewing support it had provided to NASA’s human spaceflight program for decades.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:33 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 27, for the launch of the Demo-2 flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Notably, this is the first time a commercially built and operated American rocket and spacecraft will carry humans to the space station.

Wallops is providing telemetry support for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

“Wallops will be collecting telemetry data from the second stage of the Space-X Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft as they head north up the Atlantic coast after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” said Alfred Fordan, Wallops Range Project Manager. “This data is then sent in real-time to SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, so they can monitor the health of the vehicles.” 

“We provided similar support for SpaceX when they conducted the uncrewed demonstration mission of the Crew Dragon in March 2019,” he said.

screenshot_2020-05-19_ksc-20200515-ph-kls01_0122.jpg

The Wallops Flight Facility finds itself in familiar territory in supporting the Demo-2 mission.

“During the NASA Space Shuttle Program and assembly of the International Space Station, Wallops provided both telemetry and tracking support,” said Doug Voss, deputy chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office. “We are excited to provide this vital support for the Demo-2 mission.”

“Wallops has supported NASA’s commercial cargo resupply work since 2013 as the launch site of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and its Cygnus spacecraft carrying supplies to the space station,” said Wallops Director David L. Pierce. “We are proud to be part of the team as NASA continues to expand its commercial involvement in space exploration with the crew program and this historic launch.”

NASA and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the upcoming launch activities for the mission on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Banner Image Caption: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled out of the horizontal integration facility at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-2 mission, Thursday, May 21, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)