Tag: Commercial Crew
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SpaceX crew launch comes with new weather constraints for downrange aborts
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Demo-2 mission’s May 27 launch attempt was scrubbed due to poor weather. SpaceX plans another launch attempt at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT) Saturday, May 30. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Mission managers will be…
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With Demo-2, NASA finds itself in foreign yet familiar territory
As the transition from government-owned crew launch rockets to commercial providers arrives, NASA launch integration is in a very different position than it has been with other human spaceflight programs like Apollo and Shuttle. With all launches, hundreds of thousands of things have to align perfectly for a rocket to lift off. And many of…
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With Demo-2, NASA finds itself in foreign yet familiar territory
As the transition from government-owned crew launch rockets to commercial providers arrives, NASA launch integration is in a very different position than it has been with other human spaceflight programs like Apollo and Shuttle. With all launches, hundreds of thousands of things have to align perfectly for a rocket to lift off. And many of…
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Photos: Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon on eve of launch
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft were lowered horizontal on pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center the day before launch, allowing teams to address an issue with a chilled water loop near the top of the strongback structure. The 215-foot (65-meter) rocket, emblazoned with the U.S. flag and NASA’s “worm” and “meatball”…
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Crew Dragon astronauts, both married to veteran space fliers, share unique bond
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley (right) pose on the tower at launch pad 39A Saturday during a dress rehearsal for launch day. Credit: SpaceX It’s one thing to watch a spouse blast off on a rocketship, especially when the spacecraft is making its first flight…
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Video: Dragon astronauts practice for launch day
Following the same timeline as they will on launch day, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken put on their SpaceX flight suits and strapped inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This video released by NASA shows the astronauts suiting up inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and…
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Dragon crew runs through launch day dress rehearsal
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken donned their SpaceX-made launch and entry flight suits Saturday and rode to pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in a final dress rehearsal before launch day. They rode in a Tesla SUV with the license plate “ISSBND” — noting the crew’s destination of the International Space Station. The two…
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Astronauts have a surprise name for their Crew Dragon spacecraft
The Crew Dragon spacecraft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken plan to reveal a name for their Crew Dragon spaceship on the day they launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reclaiming a tradition that dates back to…
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SpaceX, Falcon 9 for Demo-2 mission conducts critical static fire test
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has conducted a static fire test ahead of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. The static fire was part of the ongoing series of final tests and reviews before SpaceX embarks on its first human spaceflight mission. The test took place at 16:33 EDT (20:33 UTC). The test was the final time…
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NASA clears SpaceX crew capsule for first astronaut mission
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated May 25 with final loss of crew and loss of mission risk numbers from NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken into orbit fired its engines in a ground test at 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT) on Friday, May 22. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now…