NASA commercial partner SpaceX currently is targeting Sunday, June 28, for the launch of its seventh cargo delivery to the International Space Station under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 9 a.m. EDT.
The company’s Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 10:21 a.m. carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft to the station from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft will be filled with more than 4,000 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials for the science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 44 and 45.
In addition to launch coverage, NASA also will host a series of prelaunch news conferences and events on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All briefings will air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website.
Science payloads will offer new insight to combustion in microgravity, perform the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere, continue solving potential crew health risks and make new strides toward being able to grow food in space. Research continues to support the twins study and one-year mission investigations with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.
This mission also is launching more than 30 student experiments, all of which are flying to the U.S. National Laboratory managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).
The first of two International Docking Adapters for the station will be delivered in Dragon’s unpressurized trunk. The adapters will enable space station docking of commercial crew spacecraft, including the Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon.
A Sunday launch will result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving at the space station on Tuesday, June 30. Expedition 44 Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will use the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 7 a.m. Station commander Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will support Kelly as they operate from the station’s cupola.
NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and grapple of Dragon will begin at 5:30 a.m. Coverage of Dragon’s installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 8:30 a.m.
If the launch does not occur on Sunday, the next launch opportunity would be at 9:58 a.m. on Monday, June 29, resulting in a grapple and berthing on Thursday, July 2.
After more than five weeks at the space station, the spacecraft will return with more than 1,400 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, space station hardware, and trash.
The deadline for media to apply for accreditation has passed. For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.
PRESS ACCREDITATION OFFICE HOURS OF OPERATION
Badges will be issued at the Press Accreditation Office located on State Road 3, Merritt Island. Badging hours of operation are as follows:
Friday, June 26: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. and noon – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 27: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. – midnight
Sunday, June 28: midnight – 1 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.
PRESS SITE HOURS OF OPERATION
The NASA Press Site at Kennedy will be open as follows:
Friday, June 26: 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 27: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 11:30 p.m. – midnight
Sunday, June 28: midnight – 1:30 p.m.
Monday, June 29: In the event of a 24-hour scrub, 1:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
NASA SOCIAL
Friday, June 26 – Sunday, June 28: Morning check-in time for Friday is 7-8 a.m. Up to 50 social media representatives were invited to cover launch. The Kennedy Press Site Annex will serve as their home base, and they will view launch from the NASA Causeway. Social media will attend the same Press Site activities as the traditional news media. Social media representatives will attend pad viewing at 1:45 a.m. from Universal Camera Site 3 and may have additional stops.
ISS SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PANEL ON NASA TV
Friday, June 26 (L-2 days): An ISS Science, Research and Technology briefing will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants will be:
- Dr. Julie Robinson, chief program scientist, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
- Dr. Michael B. Stenger, principal investigator, Fluid Shifts, Wyle Science Technology and Engineering Group, Houston
- Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, principal investigator, Microchannel Diffusion, Houston Methodist Research Institute, for the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space (CASIS)
- Alex Kipman, technical fellow, Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft
- Jeff Norris, Sidekick Project lead, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE
Friday, June 26 (L-2 days): A Prelaunch News Conference will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site at 4:45 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants will be:
- Mike Suffredini, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
- Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Mission Assurance, SpaceX
- Kathy Winters, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron
THE FUTURE OF ISS: STUDENT SCIENCE AND COMMERCIAL CREW PANEL ON NASA TV
Saturday, June 27 (L-1 day): A briefing covering the Future of the ISS and Commercial Crew and a prelaunch status will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site at 2 p.m. EDT. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants will be:
- Heidi Smith and John Weiler, students, Bell Middle School, Golden, Colorado, who have an investigation flying as part of the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space (CASIS) National Design Challenge
- Bill Dowdell, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
- Lisa Colloredo, associate program manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
- Chris Ferguson, director of Crew and Mission Systems, Commercial Crew Division, The Boeing Company
- Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Mission Assurance, SpaceX
POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Sunday, June 28: A post-launch news conference will be held at approximately 90 minutes after launch. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants in the post-launch news conference will be:
- International Space Station representative TBD
- Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Mission Assurance, SpaceX
NEWS MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOURS
News and social media participants will receive tours of various facilities and receive briefings about upcoming NASA and commercial partner activities.
Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF)
Friday, June 26 (L-2 Days): News media will depart the Press Site by bus at 8:30 a.m. for a tour of the TPSF and an update and return at 10:45 a.m. Social media will depart the Press Site by bus at 10:50 a.m. and return at 12:15 p.m. Representatives from Orion, Sierra Nevada Corporation and SpaceX will be participating. Media interested in attending the tour inside the TPSF must RSVP via email to Jennifer Horner at jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov by noon on Thursday, June 25.
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Platform
Friday, June 26 (L-2 Days): News media and social media will depart the Press Site by bus at 2:45 p.m. and return at 4:30 p.m.
Space Station Processing Facility
Saturday, June 27 (L-1 Day): News media and social media will depart the Press Site by bus at noon and return at 1:50 p.m. The tour inside the SSPF will include an update on Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS), the International Docking Adaptor and research labs Veggie and Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC), all flying up on CRS-7.
REMOTE CAMERA SETUPS AND FALCON 9 LAUNCH PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Sunday, June 28 (Launch Day): There will be a photo opportunity of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule on the launch pad, and media will be able to establish sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad. The location is within Space Launch Complex 40 on the east side of the complex outside the pad perimeter fence. Media who want to participate will depart from Kennedy’s Press Site by bus at 1:15 a.m. and return at approximately 3:10 a.m. after remote cameras have been established. SpaceX security regulations require that news media representatives attending this event be U.S. citizens. International media will depart from the Press Site in a separate bus at 1:15 a.m. and be able to establish remote cameras at Universal Camera Site 3 (UCS-3) north of the launch complex. NASA Social attendees will depart the Press Site for UCS-3 by bus at 1:45 a.m. for a launch pad photo opportunity.
NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA LAUNCH VIEWING
Sunday, June 28 (Launch Day): News media and social media may view the launch from the NASA Causeway. Busses for news media and social media will depart from the Press Site parking lot for the NASA Causeway at 9 a.m. A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for news media desiring to photograph the launch from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The space available is limited, and media must sign up in person. Departure from the NASA News Center for the VAB will be at 9:15 a.m.
NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Sunday, June 28 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 9 a.m. EDT and conclude at approximately 11 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 8:30 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs June 28, NASA TV will provide live coverage June 30 of the arrival of the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. EDT with grapple at approximately 7 a.m.
NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-7 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 9 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Joshua Santora at 321-867-6357. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog and learn more about the SpaceX CRS-7 mission by going to the mission home page at:
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy
RECORDED STATUS
Recorded status reports on the launch of SpaceX CRS-7 and associated prelaunch activities will be provided on the Kennedy media phone line starting Thursday, June 25. The telephone number is 321-867-2525.
WIRELESS CAPABILITY
Wireless capability for the news media is available at the Kennedy Press Site.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov
Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov