There is also a Crew-6 seat available, I would think Canada is interested in this mission since the other missions were not originally scheduled, but if Jeremy Hansen is ultimately assigned to Crew-7 it is because that Crew-6 seat was already assigned.
There is also a Crew-6 seat available, I would think Canada is interested in this mission since the other missions were not originally scheduled, but if Jeremy Hansen is ultimately assigned to Crew-7 it is because that Crew-6 seat was already assigned.Roscosmos has the right to one RS crew member per USOS crew rotation.
There is also a Crew-6 seat available, I would think Canada is interested in this mission since the other missions were not originally scheduled, but if Jeremy Hansen is ultimately assigned to Crew-7 it is because that Crew-6 seat was already assigned.Complete speculation but it may have been assigned to Furukawa, he is set to fly in 2023 so its probably either Crew-6 or Starliner-1.
There is also a Crew-6 seat available, I would think Canada is interested in this mission since the other missions were not originally scheduled, but if Jeremy Hansen is ultimately assigned to Crew-7 it is because that Crew-6 seat was already assigned.In order for Artemis barter flights the planned astronauts by that agency must complete ISS long term flights to complete one of the prerequisites.
Roscosmos has the right to one RS crew member per USOS crew rotation.
In order for Artemis barter flights the planned astronauts by that agency must complete ISS long term flights to complete one of the prerequisites.Roscosmos has the right to one RS crew member per USOS crew rotation.
Right. But won't Crew-6 be two NASA, one international USOS, and one RSA? I thought Conexion Espacial was referring to the international USOS seat.
That was the reason given for earlier crew changes. The other types of qualifying expedition experience as stated a long time ago include, underwater habitats, caving, time in the expedition facility at Institute of Biomedical Problems, and much more. An expedition flight to the ISS is the preferred route.
Problem in title of this thread : it's Spring 2023, not Spring 2024 ;)Crew-6 is NET Spring 23, Crew-7 is NET Spring 24 (assuming Starliner is operational in Fall of 23).
Cosmonaut Borisov will go to the ISS on an American ship
MOSCOW, July 26 - RIA Novosti. The Russian cosmonaut, who, under the cross-flight program, will go to the International Space Station on an American spacecraft in the spring of 2024, will be Konstantin Borisov, according to an information posted in the Russian Space magazine.
Космонавт Борисов отправится на МКС на американском корабле (https://ria.ru/20220726/kosmos-1805154910.html)Yes. Looks like Crew-7 (USCV-8)QuoteCosmonaut Borisov will go to the ISS on an American ship
MOSCOW, July 26 - RIA Novosti. The Russian cosmonaut, who, under the cross-flight program, will go to the International Space Station on an American spacecraft in the spring of 2024, will be Konstantin Borisov, according to an information posted in the Russian Space magazine.
I assume that the Russians are not very willing to fly on first operational Starliner given how they proceeded with Dragon so can we assume we are talking of Crew-7 here ?
MOSCOW, 26 July. /TASS/. The flight of cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on the Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for spring 2024. This was stated on Tuesday in the materials of the Russian Space magazine (the official publication of Roscosmos).https://tass.ru/kosmos/15315503
I think we all assume that after Starliner-1 flies, the Crew Dragon and Starliner CCP flights will strictly alternate unless something goes wrong, so each of them will fly annually. But I have not seen any formal statement that this is the case. could NASA decide to fly back-to-back Starliner flights in order to consume the already-committed six missions more quickly, maybe on a 2-to-1 basis? If so, Crew-7 would fly later than Spring 2024.Unmanned mission are often out of order because one got delayed and the mission names don't get swapped around.Problem in title of this thread : it's Spring 2023, not Spring 2024 ;)Crew-6 is NET Spring 23, Crew-7 is NET Spring 24 (assuming Starliner is operational in Fall of 23).
If Boeing has a problem with their Crew-1 and SpaceX has to take up the fall of 23 mission, will SpaceX Crew-7 and crew-8 missions be out of order?
Can one supplier take up a mission on short notice with the other guy's crew? I know there's a lot of prep and training for the particular capsule you're going to ride, but 6 months seems excessive.
It wouldn't be the first time SpaceX stayed far enough ahead of requirements to take up the slack.
<snip>Until the first operational Starliner returns for inspections and reviews after about 6 months at the ISS. We have no idea if the Starliner might need some more work done on them. So early scheduling of back to back Starliner flights seems premature.
I think we all assume that after Starliner-1 flies, the Crew Dragon and Starliner CCP flights will strictly alternate unless something goes wrong, so each of them will fly annually. But I have not seen any formal statement that this is the case. could NASA decide to fly back-to-back Starliner flights in order to consume the already-committed six missions more quickly, maybe on a 2-to-1 basis? If so, Crew-7 would fly later than Spring 2024.
I think you are correct and I would certainly do it that way, but Crew-2 flew back-to-back with Crew-1. If you are correct, we have Starliner-1 in Spring 2024 and Starliner-2 in Spring 2025. The earliest back-to-back mission would be Fall 2025. It's going to be hard to retire Atlas V at the end of 2025 as ULA wanted to do according to at least one tweet.<snip>Until the first operational Starliner returns for inspections and reviews after about 6 months at the ISS. We have no idea if the Starliner might need some more work done on them. So early scheduling of back to back Starliner flights seems premature.
I think we all assume that after Starliner-1 flies, the Crew Dragon and Starliner CCP flights will strictly alternate unless something goes wrong, so each of them will fly annually. But I have not seen any formal statement that this is the case. could NASA decide to fly back-to-back Starliner flights in order to consume the already-committed six missions more quickly, maybe on a 2-to-1 basis? If so, Crew-7 would fly later than Spring 2024.
actually rogozin once said that Russians won't fly on starliner.Космонавт Борисов отправится на МКС на американском корабле (https://ria.ru/20220726/kosmos-1805154910.html)Yes. Looks like Crew-7 (USCV-8)QuoteCosmonaut Borisov will go to the ISS on an American ship
MOSCOW, July 26 - RIA Novosti. The Russian cosmonaut, who, under the cross-flight program, will go to the International Space Station on an American spacecraft in the spring of 2024, will be Konstantin Borisov, according to an information posted in the Russian Space magazine.
I assume that the Russians are not very willing to fly on first operational Starliner given how they proceeded with Dragon so can we assume we are talking of Crew-7 here ?QuoteMOSCOW, 26 July. /TASS/. The flight of cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov on the Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for spring 2024. This was stated on Tuesday in the materials of the Russian Space magazine (the official publication of Roscosmos).https://tass.ru/kosmos/15315503
.@Astro_Andreas 's #Huginn mission patch: the name taken from #Norse mythology, the raven who flies across the world to gather information for the god Odin 👉 https://esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Introducing_Huginn
See ESA's European mission patch gallery here 👉 https://esa.int/About_Us/ESA_history/European_human_spaceflight_patches
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1588186455192621056QuoteNASA also confirms that the Fall 2023 crew rotation flight to the ISS will be on board a Crew Dragon. This Crew-7 date very likely pushes the Starliner-1 crew mission, Boeing's first long duration, operational ISS mission, into 2024.
2023FallAugust 17 - Crew Dragon (Crew-7/USCV-7) launch and docking (to Harmony PMA 2 / IDA-F) [Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, Borisov]
2024EarlyFebruary 13 - Crew Dragon (Crew-7/USCV-7) undocking (from Harmony PMA 2 / IDA-F) and splashdown [Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, Borisov]
Changes on January 12th, 2023
NASA's Joel Montalbano says they're targeting mid-April for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner crewed test flight, with Ax-2 later in the second quarter.
Still in talks with Roscosmos for integrated crews (seat barters between Soyuz and Crew Dragon) for fall missions.
https://twitter.com/AstroJaws/status/1625356288472322048
Roscosmos officially decided that Konstantin Borisov will become the part of #Crew7 mission, and Alexander Grebenkin will fly to the ISS with #Crew8. https://t.me/roscosmos_gk/8629
Konstantin Borisov will go to the ISS in mid-August
According to NASA, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly into orbit on the Crew Dragon spacecraft in mid-August 2023.
Together with him in the crew of the Crew-7 mission are astronauts Jasmine Mogbeli, Andreas Mogensen and Satoshi Furukawa.
The flight will take place under the cross-flight program between Roscosmos and NASA.
https://t.me/roscosmos_gk/8974
Have Furukawa and Borisov already officially announced or is it still well informed speculation ?
Borisov was basically confirmed by the Russians and that means Crew-7 is full.
So the earliest Furukawa can fly is probably on Crew-8.
Borisov was basically confirmed by the Russians and that means Crew-7 is full.
So the earliest Furukawa can fly is probably on Crew-8.
I'm confused. If it's not Furukawa, who would be the third non-Russian member of the crew (along with Moghbeli and Mogensen)?
Borisov was basically confirmed by the Russians and that means Crew-7 is full.
So the earliest Furukawa can fly is probably on Crew-8.
I'm confused. If it's not Furukawa, who would be the third non-Russian member of the crew (along with Moghbeli and Mogensen)?
I was under the impression that Jeremy Hansen was pretty much confirmed as the third crew member, but I could be wrong.
Borisov was basically confirmed by the Russians and that means Crew-7 is full.
So the earliest Furukawa can fly is probably on Crew-8.
I'm confused. If it's not Furukawa, who would be the third non-Russian member of the crew (along with Moghbeli and Mogensen)?
I was under the impression that Jeremy Hansen was pretty much confirmed as the third crew member, but I could be wrong.
Jeremy Hansen flies to the moon with Artemis II.
Crew-7 will return to Earth in February 2024. Artemis II is supposed to fly in November 2024, 8 months later. That's not a lot of time to recover from a 6-month stay on ISS and then train for Artemis II. By contrast, Crew-1 returned to Earth in May of 2021.Borisov was basically confirmed by the Russians and that means Crew-7 is full.
So the earliest Furukawa can fly is probably on Crew-8.
I'm confused. If it's not Furukawa, who would be the third non-Russian member of the crew (along with Moghbeli and Mogensen)?
I was under the impression that Jeremy Hansen was pretty much confirmed as the third crew member, but I could be wrong.
Jeremy Hansen flies to the moon with Artemis II.
I know, but I didn't think those were mutually exclusive, just like how Victor Glover is going to to fly on Artemis II even though he recently flew on Crew-1.
That's obviously a mistake on NextSpaceFlight... it's definitely a ASDS landing.No it's not a mistake.
This has long-term implications. At some point Starship will succeed and most Falcon payloads will migrate. Crew Dragon will probably be last because crew certification and ISS docking certification will take time. RTLS will allow them to retire all of their saltwater fleet except the capsule recovery ships.That's obviously a mistake on NextSpaceFlight... it's definitely a ASDS landing.No it's not a mistake.
SpaceX is going to try the new flight profile (of course if there will be consent from NASA).
They say the first try of RTLS for a Crew Dragon will be on Axiom-2 launch.
It also appears on the FCC licensesThat's obviously a mistake on NextSpaceFlight... it's definitely a ASDS landing.No it's not a mistake.
SpaceX is going to try the new flight profile (of course if there will be consent from NASA).
They say the first try of RTLS for a Crew Dragon will be on Axiom-2 launch.
<snip>Don't think so. SpaceX still need Doug and Bob as recovery support ships as well for payload fairing recovery for some DoD and NASA missions. It is very unlikely that SpaceX will just send one ship out on a Dragon recovery sortie, IMO.
This has long-term implications. At some point Starship will succeed and most Falcon payloads will migrate. Crew Dragon will probably be last because crew certification and ISS docking certification will take time. RTLS will allow them to retire all of their saltwater fleet except the capsule recovery ships.
Have Furukawa and Borisov already officially announced or is it still well informed speculation ?
Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA has been selected for @NASA’s @SpaceX #Crew7 mission – the agency’s seventh rotational mission to the @Space_Station.
Furukawa joins NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2023/05/23/mission-specialist-assigned-to-nasas-spacex-crew-7-mission/
https://twitter.com/sierraspaceco/status/1661061868339838977QuoteSierra Space hosted its first-ever official Dream Chaser training for astronauts, Jasmin Moghbeli (@NASA) and Satoshi Furukawa (@JAXA_en), of the upcoming #SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the @Space_Station.
Press Release:
https://www.sierraspace.com/newsroom/press-releases/sierra-space-trains-nasa-jasmin-moghbeli-and-jaxa-satoshi-furukawa-for-dream-chaser-spaceplane-mission-to-international-space-station/QuoteSierra Space Trains NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli and JAXA’s Satoshi Furukawa for Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Mission to International Space Station
MAY 23, 2023| NEWS
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency designated Furukawa as a member of Crew-7 early Monday morning
LOUISVILLE, Colo. – May 23, 2023 – Sierra Space, a leading, pureplay commercial space company building the first end-to-end business and technology platform in space, announced today it has achieved another significant milestone in the journey to the first flight of Dream Chaser®. The company hosted its first-ever official training for astronauts from NASA and JAXA to learn the innerworkings of the world’s first commercial spaceplane.
The astronauts – Jasmin Moghbeli (United States) and Satoshi Furukawa (Japan) – are two members of the upcoming SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). During their planned six-month stay, Dream Chaser will make its maiden voyage to deliver cargo to the ISS as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract.
“We are honored to provide NASA cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station. The astronaut training is another important milestone as we complete the final preparations for Dream Chaser’s first mission,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “Our team provided a comprehensive training experience for these Crew-7 members to prepare them for when Dream Chaser berths at the ISS.”
Sierra Space compiled an eight-hour training session that took place on March 7 at the company’s Louisville, Colorado facility. Company specialists conducted the training, which was divided into four sections. Parts 1 and 2 were classroom training, while Parts 3 and 4 involved a full-size mock-up of Dream Chaser:
Part 1: Dream Chaser Overview – Sierra Space team members gave Moghbeli and Furukawa a full briefing on Dream Chaser. Topics covered included systems identification and function, mission profiles (from launch and rendezvous to reentry and landing), crew interfaces and operations (i.e., types of cargo, how to load/unload, etc.). At the end of Part 1, astronauts walked away with a full understanding of the hardware they will encounter on Dream Chaser once it is at the ISS.
Part 2: Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) – This portion of the training covered required actions as Dream Chaser makes its approach and officially berths with the ISS. Sierra Space employees carefully reviewed the timeline, profile and procedural operations of the high-level system configuration involved in this critical part of the mission.
Part 3: Dream Chaser Hardware Familiarization and Scenarios – The astronauts moved into a full-size mock-up of Dream Chaser. As they walked through the vehicle, Sierra Space employees identified hardware/systems and taught the astronauts how to operate and/or interface with each one. The astronauts also learned vehicle ingress/egress procedures, as well as discussed off-nominal scenarios.
“This was the portion of the training where the astronauts were blown away by Dream Chaser’s massive size, often commenting, ‘Wow, you can fit a lot of cargo in here,’” said Krista Abler, with Sierra Space’s Flight Operations Mission Training team. “You can look at CAD drawings or read about Dream Chaser’s dimensions all day long. But its immense capacity doesn’t really register until you crawl inside. I think this is a reason why NASA is excited about our vehicle.”
Part 4: Cargo Transfer Scenarios – During the final portion of training, the astronauts learned how to properly and safely install/remove cargo from Dream Chaser, using the same procedures and operational tools as they will on orbit. They practiced with numerous restraints (i.e., straps, beams, etc.), identified hazards associated with cargo operations and ran scenario drills.
“This was probably the most important lesson of the day because the whole point of Dream Chaser coming to the ISS is to deliver cargo,” Abler said.
Press release photo captions:QuoteCrew 7 Astronauts Train in Sierra Space Dream Chaser mockupQuoteNASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli trains in Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane mockup
Here's an early view of the NASA CREW-7 patch. This is in the stitching machine format so the final product will look nicer. There's a pic circulating with it on cake icing which has the astronaut names.
Here's how Conrad/AB Emblem use the designs:
vimeo.com/418648643
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1660454558110453760QuoteFirst Falcon 9 LZ-1 landing for a human spaceflight mission.
Our Crew-7 mission patch is something deeply meaningful to me. I hope it is as meaningful and symbolic to each individual at @NASA @esa @JAXA_jp @roscosmos @SpaceX, as well as all our family and friends who have contributed to our upcoming Crew-7 mission to the @Space_Station! Please see below for our patch description. Go #Crew7!!
Central to the Crew-7 patch is the colorful Earth, with its beauty and magnificence standing out against the white dragon and black background.
The caring dragon holds the Earth protectively, highlighting that every aspect of Crew-7’s long-duration mission is ultimately for the benefit of our home planet and those on it. The dragon is a shoutout to the namesake of the Crew Dragon capsule delivering the crew of four to and from the International Space Station. The dragon is on guard for threats against the Earth, its neck craned in the shape of a “7” to represent the seventh operational flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
The dragon’s tail curves upwards towards a golden star, symbolizing the ascent towards the stars in honor of the pioneering spirit and perseverance that continue to propel us further in human space exploration.
The colors blue, white, and red on the tail symbolize the international make-up of the four crew members, with the colors encompassing those used in the flags of all four nations – the United States of America, Denmark, Japan, and the Russian Federation.
The crew is proud to represent the progress that can be achieved for all of humanity when we work together in unity. The Crew-7 astronauts would like to dedicate this patch to all those who contributed to the success of the Crew-7 mission, especially their families, and to the next generation of explorers.
As well as, how American tax payers were sold commercial crew puts Americans in orbit from vehicles built by Americans and launched from America, only to have a token American on board and the rest be foreign astronauts.The Russian seat is a seat swap. An American went up on Soyuz in place of a Russian. Therefore, the ration is actually 3 Americans and one non-American. NASA has a non-US, non-Russian seat because it is the INTERNATIONAL Space station, and lots of international politics went into it.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind foreign astronauts being on board, but this mix has gone too far for me.
I know the Russian is because of the seat swap agreement and actually not the issue I have with this crew’s mix.AIUI, there isn't a sufficient number of US astronauts available that can be assigned to the ISS more then the current assignment roster.
In my opinion, there should be a minimum of 2 US astronauts on each CC launch, but that comment is probably better discussed in the commercial crew, or some other discussion thread on potential astro assignments.
So, knowing one seat is allocated for Russian crew swaps on Dragon, it’s having both a European and Japanese astronaut assigned to this mission I have the issue with.
I know the Russian is because of the seat swap agreement and actually not the issue I have with this crew’s mix.
In my opinion, there should be a minimum of 2 US astronauts on each CC launch, but that comment is probably better discussed in the commercial crew, or some other discussion thread on potential astro assignments.
So, knowing one seat is allocated for Russian crew swaps on Dragon, it’s having both a European and Japanese astronaut assigned to this mission I have the issue with.
I know the Russian is because of the seat swap agreement and actually not the issue I have with this crew’s mix.
In my opinion, there should be a minimum of 2 US astronauts on each CC launch, but that comment is probably better discussed in the commercial crew, or some other discussion thread on potential astro assignments.
So, knowing one seat is allocated for Russian crew swaps on Dragon, it’s having both a European and Japanese astronaut assigned to this mission I have the issue with.
Because there were no Japanese or Europeans on Crew-6
Presumably Sultan's seat came out of the US allotment? I vaguely remember it was reimbursement for something but can't remember the details...
Konstantin Borisov said in an instagram post several weeks ago that a new booster is being used for the mission and that they saw it in HangerX, from my understanding the only F9 core there that has yet to fly is B1072
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr0YVeCKbaj/
[May 4]
This is Crew-7
This is SpaceX Crew-7 with all four crewmembers sitting in the Crew Dragon Endurance that will fly them to the International Space Station.
From left to right it is Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos, Andreas Mogensen from ESA, Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA.
Meet the four astronauts of Crew-7 (L-R: Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos; Andreas Mogensen of ESA/Denmark; Commander Jasmin Moghbeli; and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA/Japan). Crew-7 is set to launch to begin their ISS stint in mid-August.
NextSpaceflight has B1081 listed as the first stage for this mission
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6879
Konstantin Borisov said in an instagram post several weeks ago that a new booster is being used for the mission and that they saw it in Hangar X, from my understanding the only F9 core there that has yet to fly is B1072
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr0YVeCKbaj/
[May 4]
NextSpaceflight has B1081 listed as the first stage for this mission
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6879
Interesting that Borisov said that they saw it in Hangar X, as B1081 has yet to be tested at McGregor... Most likely a translation issue?
B1081?
https://twitter.com/bluemoondance74/status/1671313699699580931QuoteA new FALCON 9 first stage booster was installed today at @SpaceX McGregor and is now vertical, ready to begin its initial test campaign, as viewed on @NASASpaceflight’s McGregor Live.
🎥: http://nsf.live/mcgregorA new Falcon core was raised onto the test stand at McGregor today
NextSpaceflight has B1081 listed as the first stage for this mission
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6879
Falcon 9 booster B1081 is undergoing cryogenic proof testing at SpaceX's Rocket Development and Test Facility at McGregor.
This booster is set to fly the company's seventh crew rotation mission to the ISS later this summer.
nsf.live/mcgregor
Static Fire!
nsf.live/mcgregor
Media accreditation now is open for the launch of NASA’s seventh rotational mission of a SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.
The earliest targeted launch date for the NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is Tuesday, Aug. 15, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch of Dragon, named Endurance, will carry NASA astronaut and mission commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and pilot Andreas Mogensen, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov as mission specialists. This is the first spaceflight for Moghbeli and Borisov, and second flight for Mogensen and Furukawa.
Following a handover period, crew members from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission are scheduled for return to Earth aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Endeavour.
Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-7 launch are as follows:
U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday, July 31
International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 12
The new Falcon 9 booster B1081 completed all testing at SpaceX in McGregor, TX and is now being lowered to get ready to be shipped. This booster will support the Crew-7 launch.
SpaceX McGregor LIVE:
nsf.live/mcgregor
2 week turnaround after FH? We'll see I guess.
NextSpaceflight (https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6944), updated July 6, changed back to:
Mon Jul 24, 2023 02:34 UTC
NASA, SpaceX Provide Crew-7 Hardware Operations Status
NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the seventh rotational mission of the company’s human space transportation system to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The earliest targeted launch date for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is Tuesday, Aug. 15, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, which previously flew on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions. This will be the first launch for the Falcon 9 rocket booster SpaceX selected to support this mission.
Dragon currently is being prepared for flight at SpaceX’s processing facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. As part of the refurbishment process, teams will install new components, including the heat shield, parachutes, and Draco engines in addition to a flight-proven nosecone. SpaceX recently completed Dragon’s propulsion system checkouts and will soon mate the heat shield to the spacecraft. Once refurbishment is complete, Dragon will be stacked to its trunk ahead of transportation to SpaceX’s hangar at nearby Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.
Following static fire testing at a SpaceX facility in Texas, the booster will undergo stage testing and further assessments prior to acceptance and certification for flight.
Once all rocket and spacecraft system checkouts are complete and components are certified for flight, SpaceX teams will mate Dragon to the Falcon 9 rocket in the company’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A. Teams will then roll the integrated spacecraft and rocket to the pad and raise it to a vertical position for an integrated static fire test prior to launch.
Following liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage will separate from the second stage and land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Upon its arrival to the space station, Crew-7 will dock to the space-facing, or zenith, port of the Harmony module.
Follow NASA’s commercial crew blog for the latest information on Crew-7 progress and flight readiness as reviews and milestones continue. NASA and its partners will host a media event in the coming weeks to discuss more about Crew-7 progress.
Details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.
Author Linda Herridge
Posted on July 13, 2023
Categories NASA, SpaceX Crew-7
Tags Commercial Crew Program, Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket, International Space Station, Launch Complex 39A, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7
The Crew-7 astronauts, from left, are Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furakawa. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford and Robert Markowitz
Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide (https://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.html), updated July 13:= 11:44 UTCQuoteA Falcon 9 will launch the next crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station from pad 39A on August 15 at 7:44 a.m. EDT.
Aug. 17 Falcon 9 • Crew 7https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
Launch time: Approx. 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Updated: July 24
LIVE: Tune in as NASA, @ESA, and @JAXA_EN leaders discuss the science and objectives of the upcoming #Crew7 launch to the @Space_Station.
QuoteAug. 17 Falcon 9 • Crew 7https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
Launch time: Approx. 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Updated: July 24
NASA say they're now planning the Crew-7 launch on Aug 17, two days later than previously planned, because of turnaround for the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch from LC-39A.
From the July 25 Crew-7 press briefing:
This Falcon Heavy launch is the first LC-39A launch to be controlled from a SpaceX Hangar X; preceding same for Crew-7 launch.
https://twitter.com/stephenclark1/status/1683897865284853760QuoteA couple bits of info from the Crew-7 preview news conference:
SpaceX has begun using a new launch control center at the company's Hangar X facility at KSC for Starlink missions.
It'll be used to control the Falcon Heavy/Jupiter 3 launch Wednesday night, then again for Crew-7.
Crew-7 completed their Dragon test drive and training at pad 39A this past weekend ahead of their launch to the @space_station in August
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1684401379241246721QuoteStanding down from tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch of the @HughesConnects JUPITER 3 mission due to a violation of abort criteria. Teams are resetting for a launch attempt tomorrow, July 27; vehicle and payload are in good health
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1684669591820107776QuoteWilliam Harwood @cbs_spacenews
FH/Jupiter 3: SpaceX confirms launch reset to Friday, at 11:04pm EDT (0304 UTC); Starlink launch still on for tonight at 10:20pm from CCSFS LC-40; the Heavy delay almost certainly will impact the Crew 7 launch date because of pad turnaround issues, but no word yet from NASA.
FH/Jupiter 3: For planning purposes, the Crew 7 launch opportunities are 8/17-18, 8/21 and 8/25-26-27; shortly after, SpaceX will have to turn 39A around for the Falcon Heavy/Psyche launch 10/5; with the EchoStar scrub to Friday, the 8/17-18 window for Crew 7 appears in doubt
Schedule cutouts:Quote from: William Harwood tweetFH/Jupiter 3: For planning purposes, the Crew 7 launch opportunities are 8/17-18, 8/21 and 8/25-26-27; shortly after, SpaceX will have to turn 39A around for the Falcon Heavy/Psyche launch 10/5; with the EchoStar scrub to Friday, the 8/17-18 window for Crew 7 appears in doubt. [Jul 27]
Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide (https://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.html), updated July 29:= ~09:00 UTCQuoteA Falcon 9 will launch the next crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station from pad 39A on August TBD around 5 a.m. EDT. The launch time gets 22-26 mins earlier each day. The booster will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch.
We’ve begun our quarantine in preparation for the @NASA Crew-7 launch. It’s nice to have a few days at home before heading to Florida. But that also means I have some free time. Ask me anything 👇🏻(preferably about horses or cats)
Crew-7’s Dragon arrived at Pad 39A in Florida ahead of its third mission to the @space_station. As teams prepare to launch Crew-7 and safely bring Crew-6 home, the Crew-8 astronauts completed their first week of training in California
Update from NASA (16th August, 2023):COMMENT | EVENT | TIG | ORB | DV | HA | HP |
COMMENT | | GMT | | M/S | KM | KM |
COMMENT | | | | (F/S) | (NM) | (NM) |
COMMENT =============================================================================
COMMENT 83P Undock 232:23:49:30.000 0.0 422.8 412.8
COMMENT (0.0) (228.3) (222.9)
COMMENT
COMMENT 85P Launch 235:01:08:10.000 0.0 423.2 412.1
COMMENT (0.0) (228.5) (222.5)
COMMENT
COMMENT 85P Docking 237:03:49:57.000 0.0 423.2 411.6
COMMENT (0.0) (228.5) (222.2)
COMMENT
COMMENT Crew-7 Launch 237:07:49:59.000 0.0 423.2 411.7
COMMENT (0.0) (228.5) (222.3)
COMMENT
COMMENT Crew-7 Dock 238:06:45:00.000 0.0 423.5 411.3
COMMENT (0.0) (228.6) (222.1)
COMMENT
COMMENT =============================================================================
SpaceX Dragon recovery ship Shannon is underway from Port Canaveral and heading for the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship will support splashdown sites there for the upcoming Crew-6/7 rotation from the ISS.
nsf.live/spacecoast
151851Z AUG 23
NAVAREA IV 936/23(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
250744Z TO 250819Z AUG, ALTERNATE
260722Z TO 260757Z, 270659Z TO 270734Z,
280634Z TO 280709Z, 290611Z TO 290646Z,
300548Z TO 300623Z, 310526Z TO 310601Z AUG
IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 28-39.11N 080-37.76W, 28-46.00N 080-30.00W,
28-45.00N 080-25.00W, 28-39.00N 080-19.00W,
28-29.00N 080-29.00W, 28-27.91N 080-31.73W.
B. 31-00.00N 078-06.00W, 31-20.00N 077-48.00W,
31-43.00N 077-17.00W, 31-38.00N 077-12.00W,
31-18.00N 077-31.00W, 30-56.00N 078-00.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 310701Z AUG 23.
181612Z AUG 23
HYDROPAC 2687/23(83).
SOUTH PACIFIC.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
250847Z TO 250920Z, 260825Z TO 260858Z,
270802Z TO 270835Z, 280737Z TO 280810Z,
290714Z TO 290747Z, 300652Z TO 300724Z
AND 310629Z TO 310702Z AUG
IN AREA BOUND BY
29-22.00S 148-47.00W, 28-19.00S 149-44.00W,
42-58.00S 171-07.00W, 44-01.00S 169-58.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 310802Z AUG 23.
Special delivery on the way!
@NASA's @SpaceX Crew-7 crew members are en route to @NASAKennedy in Florida to begin final launch preparations.
Watch the crew arrival livestream on X beginning at 12pm EST.
Read more: go.nasa.gov/3OJZXXn
Jasmin, Andreas, Satoshi, and Konstantin: welcome to the Kennedy Space Center!
Your Dragon capsule, Endurance, awaits you.
Less than one week until the launch of Crew-7 🚀
📸 - @NASASpaceflight
Jasmin Moghbeli - Commander
Andreas Mogensen - Pilot
Satoshi Furukawa - Mission Specialist
Konstantin Borisov - Mission Specialist
SpaceX is getting ready to roll a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon to launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for a space station mission later this week.
F9 is now rolling out to the pad.
Credit to SFN Launch Pad Livestream.
NGA Rocket Launching and Space Debris notices.
Falcon 9 and Dragon roll out to the launch pad at 39A in Florida for @NASA's Crew-7 mission to the @Space_Station
Today @NASA and @SpaceX managers are gathered for the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for the upcoming #Crew7 mission to the @space_station.
Tune in for the post FRR media teleconference at 5pm ET.
https://nasa.gov/live
Falcon 9 and Dragon are going vertical ahead of the Crew 7 mission.
NSF.live/spacecoast
Now fully vertical, and the Crew Access Arm has been extended.
Next up: we wait to hear the outcome of the ever-crucial Flight Readiness Review (FRR). #Crew7
nsf.live/spacecoast
The @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft that will launch #Crew7 on their mission to @Space_Station are seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A. Launch is targeted for 3:49am EDT Aug. 25. More 📷:
NASA's Ken Bowersox says in a media briefing that they are go for a Crew-7 launch attempt Friday at 3:49 am EDT after completing a flight readiness review today.m
F9/Crew-7: NASA's flight readiness review for the Crew-7 flight to the ISS is over; all parties polled "go" for launch Friday at 3:49:59am EDT (0749 UTC); forecasters are predicting an 85% chance of good weather
F9/Crew-7: Commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov plan to strap in early Tuesday for a dress rehearsal countdown mirroring the same launch-day timeline they'll follow Friday
F9/Crew-7: After the practice countdown is complete, SpaceX plans to test fire the Falcon 9's 1st stage engines ~7:50am EDT Tuesday to verify the booster's readiness for flight; this will be the first launch for booster B1081; a Cape Canaveral SFS landing is planned
NASA SpaceX Crew-7 ‘Go’ for August 25 Launch
The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned liftoff at 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 5 p.m. EDT today, Monday, Aug. 21, at Kennedy to discuss the outcome of the review. Listen live on NASA’s website.
Participants in the teleconference are:
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
Frank De Winne, program manager, International Space Station, ESA
Junichi Sakai, program manager, International Space Station, JAXA
On Aug. 20, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Endurance spacecraft rolled out to the pad at Launch Complex 39A. On Tuesday, Aug. 22, the crew will participate in a dry dress rehearsal ahead of an integrated static fire test in preparation for liftoff early Friday morning.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, pilot; and mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon spacecraft. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-7 marks the eighth human spaceflight mission on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and the seventh crew rotation mission to the space station since 2020.
Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-7 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.
Author Linda Herridge
Posted on August 21, 2023
Categories SpaceX Crew-7Tags SpaceX; Crew-7; Commercial Crew Program; CCP; Falcon 9; Crew Dragon; Endurance; International Space Station; Launch Complex 39A; Kennedy Space Center; KSC
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Flight Readiness Review takes place at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. The mission is targeted to lift off from the Florida spaceport’s Launch Complex 39A at 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, powered by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Falcon 9 and Dragon vertical at 39A in Florida. Targeting Friday, August 25 for launch of Crew-7 → spacex.com/launches
SpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Friday, August 25 for Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s seventh operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-7) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 3:49 a.m. ET (7:49 UTC), with a backup opportunity available on Saturday, August 26 at 3:27 a.m. ET (7:27 UTC).
The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew NASA’s Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions to and from the space station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct science and technology demonstrations to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth.
The SpaceX webcast for the Crew-7 mission will go live about one hour before liftoff.
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1693731557926683000QuoteF9/Crew-7: Commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov plan to strap in early Tuesday for a dress rehearsal countdown mirroring the same launch-day timeline they'll follow Friday
T-20min vent underway. New static fire time looks to be 8:19AM EDT (12:19 UTC)
nsf.live/spacecoast
Overnight #Crew7 completed a final dress rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of their launch to @Space_Station targeted for 3:49am EDT on Friday, Aug. 25. More 📷:
twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1693950777767903474/photo/1
Static Fire! Falcon 9 comes to life ahead of the Crew 7 mission Friday. 🔥
nsf.live/spacecoast
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Friday, August 25 for launch of @NASA’s Crew-7 mission to the @space_station
This morning during dry dress rehearsal it sounds like the Dragon had an issue, but still were able to complete it. It's just after the 2 minute mark in this recording but I don't know enough about the vehicle to interpret what they are referring to.
Sunrise at the pad
SpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Friday, August 25 for Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s seventh operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-7) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 3:50 a.m. ET (7:50 UTC), with a backup opportunity available on Saturday, August 26 at 3:27 a.m. ET (7:27 UTC).
The launch has been push back by a minute to 3:50 a.m. EDT (7:50 UTC) according to the SpaceX launch webcast page on YouTube.Previous launch time was 3:49:59. So either just a rounding difference, or as little as a 1 second difference.
✅ @NASA, @SpaceX, and international partners have completed the launch readiness review for the #Crew7 mission to the @Space_Station.
Crew-7 mission managers decided launch is “Go” for liftoff at 3:50am EDT Friday, Aug. 25, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Go for Launch to Space Station
NASA, SpaceX, and international partners have completed the launch readiness review for the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. Crew-7 managers gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday to review the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft readiness and decided launch is “Go” for liftoff to the space station. Launch now is targeted for 3:50 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available at 3:27 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26.
On Wednesday, rocket and ground systems engineering teams completed the detailed data reviews following the integrated static fire of the Falcon 9 rocket conducted the day before at Launch Complex 39A. Falcon 9 performance was normal, resulting in a successful full duration static fire of all nine Merlin first-stage engines.
Operations teams are not tracking any major issues with Falcon 9 or the Dragon spacecraft. NASA and SpaceX spent Wednesday working toward final launch readiness, with remaining work expected to be completed ahead of launch.
The International Space Station Program is monitoring the potential need for a debris avoidance maneuver early afternoon Thursday, Aug. 24, for the orbital outpost. Space station mission control trajectory teams are tracking the debris and determining whether a short duration burn of the station’s thrusters would be required. If needed, the maneuver is not expected to impact the planned arrival of the Roscosmos ISS Progress cargo spacecraft also on Thursday. More information will be provided as orbital trajectory teams review the data and determine whether the debris would fly in the vicinity of the space station requiring a change in station’s altitude.
On Tuesday, Crew-7 NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, commander; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, pilot; and mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov participated in a rehearsal of launch day activities in preparation for the upcoming Crew-7 launch.
Rehearsal began with launch teams assisting Crew-7 crewmates into their SpaceX spacesuits inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building – just as they will on launch day. Next, the crew took the elevator down to the ground floor and exited the building’s double doors, where Tesla Model X vehicles were waiting to drive them the short distance to the launch site.
After they arrived at the launch pad, Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov rode the launch tower’s elevator up to the crew access arm – the walkway they will use to enter Dragon, named Endurance. Once securely seated inside, the crew members checked their communications systems and performed seat rotation and suit leak checks. The rehearsal concluded with closure of the spacecraft’s side hatch, which normally occurs about one hour and 25 minutes before liftoff.
Forecasters with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern.
Starting at 11:45 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 24, the live broadcast of the mission – including liftoff and postlaunch milestones – will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Check the Crew-7 blog starting at 11 p.m., for key events leading up to launch and through spacecraft separation.
We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this mission. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-7 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.
Author dsempsro
Posted on August 24, 2023
Categories Commercial Crew, Commercial Spaceflight, NASA, NASA Astronauts, SpaceXTags Dragon Endurance, Flacon 9, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, LC-39A, SpaceX Crew-7
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members are photographed in the Dragon Endurance spacecraft during a dry dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 22, 2023. From left are Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Photo credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members arrive at Launch Complex 39A during a dry dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 22, 2023. Photo credit: SpaceX
Dragon Endurance, ready for its third flight to the ISS, starting with liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 3:50 a.m. ET Friday, carrying Jasmin Moghbeli of the U.S., Andreas Mogensen of Europe, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan, and Konstantin Borisov of Russia 🚀🇺🇸🇩🇰🇯🇵🇷🇺🛰️
Clean & new Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon Endurance at LC-39A this afternoon🧽 #Crew7
🐉Crew Dragon ‘Endurance’ #Crew7
NASA says the ISS performed a maneuver earlier today to avoid a close approach with an unnamed debris object. The maneuver does not affect the Progress docking tonight or early Friday's Crew-7 launch.
T-12 hours until Falcon 9 launches Dragon and Crew-7 to the @space_station. Weather is 90% favorable for liftoff
SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endurance is set to launch another crew to the ISS early on Friday from 39A.
Crew-7 overview by Bella Richards (@bellaa_richards)
Clocks have stopped. For an ISS launch, that's a scrub.
http://nsf.live/spacecoast
NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Friday, Aug. 25, launch opportunity for the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. Launch now is targeted at 3:27 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, for SpaceX’s seventh crew rotation mission to the microgravity laboratory for NASA. More to come.
On the Progress docking stream, Rob Navias described the issue as "a couple of open items, just nothing significant but a couple of technical items that required a bit more analysis."
SpaceX and NASA are now targeting no earlier than Saturday, August 26 for Falcon 9 to launch Dragon to the @space_station. The new launch date provides teams additional time to complete and discuss analysis. The vehicles remain healthy and crew is ready to fly.
https://www.spacex.com/launches
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=crew-7QuoteSpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Saturday, August 26 for Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s seventh operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-7) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 3:27 a.m. ET (07:27 UTC), with a backup opportunity available on Sunday, August 27 at 3:04 a.m. ET (07:04 UTC).
The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew NASA’s Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions to and from the space station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct science and technology demonstrations to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit humanity on Earth.
Crew-7 Targets Saturday Launch to Space Station (https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-7/2023/08/25/crew-7-targets-saturday-launch-to-space-station/)
August 25, 2023
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 3:27 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, for launch of the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station.
Mission managers met on Thursday to discuss the status toward final readiness for a Friday launch opportunity. After performing an extra data review, teams decided to take additional time to reconfirm required factors of safety and operational margin on one of the Dragon spacecraft’s environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) components. The new launch date provides teams additional time to complete the analysis and thoroughly review the necessary data ahead of launch. All ECLSS valves on the Crew-7 and Crew-6 Dragon spacecraft are performing normally, and performed as expected in all preflight testing. Safety continues to be the team’s top priority. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft remain healthy as teams complete and discuss the final results of this additional analysis, and the crew is ready to fly when the entire team is ready.
For a launch on Saturday, the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria.
[...]
NASA provided more details to Spaceflight Now on the decision to postpone Friday's planned launch of an international crew to the space station. In a written response, a space agency spokesman said a review of the reliability of valves in the Crew Dragon's life support system was not completed in time for the planned Aug. 25 launch. The valves in question are used to flow oxygen and nitrogen into the cabin atmosphere and are part of the Environmental Control and Life Support System or ECLSS.
The review of all valves in the Crew Dragon spacecraft was ordered after corrosion on a previous Cargo Dragon mission, caused a propulsion system isolation valve to become stuck.
"In an abundance of caution, SpaceX proactively went back and looked at test data on all of the valves in the spacecraft to understand the margin to open and close for the ECLSS valves," the written response said. "This analysis was scheduled to be completed by the Aug. 25 launch opportunity, but took a little longer than expected in order to accomplish all normal and contingency cases that the ECLSS system valves might experience in flight."
NASA said all life support system valves on Dragon Endurance at the launch pad and on Dragon Endeavour, currently in orbit docked at the space station, are performing normally.
Crew-7 Targets Saturday Launch to Space Station (https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-7/2023/08/25/crew-7-targets-saturday-launch-to-space-station/)QuoteAugust 25, 2023
<snip>
Mission managers met on Thursday to discuss the status toward final readiness for a Friday launch opportunity. After performing an extra data review, teams decided to take additional time to reconfirm required factors of safety and operational margin on one of the Dragon spacecraft’s environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) components. The new launch date provides teams additional time to complete the analysis and thoroughly review the necessary data ahead of launch. All ECLSS valves on the Crew-7 and Crew-6 Dragon spacecraft are performing normally, and performed as expected in all preflight testing.
<snip>
[...]
Audio of the dress rehearsal being broadcast over the ISS Youtube feed caught me a little off guard when I was half asleep. I vaguely remember discussion of some minor oxygen system issue, otherwise sounded successful.Edited, and thanks, ChrisC.
Falcon 9 and Dragon at the pad in Florida
SFN Launch Schedule (https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/), updated August 25:
Launch 26 August 07:27:27 UTC = 3:27:27 am EDT
Launch time to the second? ⏲️
Dragon’s hatch is now closed. Less than two hours to Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon to the @space_station
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA shares time with her family before launching to space later this morning for a six-month stay on the ISS.
The reflection of one of her children almost appears to be giving her one final hug before she returns to Earth next year.
JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa waves as he departs for LC-39A ahead of launching to the International Space Station later this morning.
Red and white lights, the same colors as the Japanese flag, highlight the scene 🇯🇵
And look who got the ultimate honor!
Upcoming launch of #Crew7 mission to the #ISS via #SpaceX's #CrewDragon & #Falcon9 vehicles
Crew members:
@AstroJaws
@Astro_Andreas
@Astro_Satoshi
Konstantin Borisov
#Space #NASA #JAXA #Roscosmos #Роскосмос
👀 The #Crew7 crew takes in a final pre-launch view of @SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft before launching to the @Space_Station.
A Look at Key Milestones for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Mission
Below are some key milestones for the Crew-7 mission. Launch is targeted for 3:27 a.m. EDT.
11:07 p.m. Crew weather brief
11:22 p.m. Crew handoff to SpaceX
11:27 p.m. Suit donning and checkouts
12:07 a.m. Crew walkout from Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
12:12 a.m. Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
12:32 a.m. Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
12:52 a.m. Crew ingress
12:52 a.m. Communication check
12:58 a.m. Verify ready for seat rotation
12:59 a.m. Suit leak checks
1:37 a.m. Hatch close
1:17 a.m. Side hatch leak check
2:45 a.m. Crew access arm retracts
2:49 a.m. Dragon spacecraft launch escape system is armed
2:52 a.m. RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins; first stage liquid oxygen loading begins
3:10 a.m. Second stage liquid oxygen loading begins
3:16 a.m. SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
3:27:00 a.m. Liftoff!
3:28 a.m. Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
3:29:28 a.m. First and second stages separate
3:29:53 a.m. Second stage engine starts
3:36:18 a.m. Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
3:36 a.m. First stage landing
3:39 a.m. Dragon separates from second stage
3:40 a.m. Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
Author Linda Herridge
Posted on August 25, 2023
Categories SpaceX Crew-7Tags SpaceX; Crew-7; Commercial Crew Program; CCP; Falcon 9; Dragon; Dragon; Dragon Spacecraft; Endurance; International Space Station; Launch Complex 39A; Kennedy Space Center; KSC
Crew-7 is go for launch
CAA retract
Prop load for Falcon 9 ahead of Crew-7 launch.
youtube.com/watch?v=DRBPZE…
T-20 minute vent. Still proceeding with the count as they evaluate the haz gas detection.
youtube.com/watch?v=DRBPZE…
LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1081 launches Crew Dragon Endurance with four crewmembers from 39A to the ISS.
Overview: nasaspaceflight.com/2023/08/nasa-g…
NSF, Live from KSC: youtube.com/watch?v=DRBPZE…
Staging 1-2.
Falcon 9’s first stage booster has landed at Landing Zone 1
B1081 has landed RTLS at LZ-1. Very short entry burn, but made it back!
Dragon has separated from Falcon 9’s second stage
Follow Dragon and Crew-7 during their flight → https://www.spacex.com/follow-dragon/index.html
540 second, single exposure of four more humans flying to space. #Crew7
Falcon 9 main engine cutoff, boostback burn, and second stage flight with Dragon and Crew-7 en route toward the International Space Station.
An equatorial mount kept the stars pinpoint sharp during the four-minute exposure.
'Slow is smooth, smooth is fast..." - @Astro_Jessica
Introducing 'Sasha the three-toed Sloth', the zero-g indicator, to orbital spaceflight, courtesy family Mogensen. #crew7 #Huginn @esaspaceflight
Liftoff of @SpaceX and @NASA #Crew7 from LC-39A enroute to the @Space_Station!
SpaceX timeline called for 11-seconds of entry burn (short, but for RTLS), but this Booster only burned for about three seconds. Then fought a fair bit during the return but still managed to land!
Secondary to the smooth crew launch on Dragon, which all went well, but it is fascinating if the booster had an entry burn issue, but STILL got back to the landing site OK! Or SpaceX changed something and didn't update their timeline.
Let's see if we get an official answer during post-launch presser.
Will be losing TDRSS for 15 minutes during the burn, but have a ground contact.
Falcon Nebula 😍
📸: me for @TLPN_Official
After second stage separation, @SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft with the four members of #Crew7 aboard is in orbit and set to arrive at the @Space_Station on Sun., Aug. 27. Commander @AstroJaws thanked all those who prepared the crew and spacecraft for flight:
Coverage of the #Crew7 flight to the @space_station will continue audio only until coverage of rendezvous, docking, hatch opening, and welcoming remarks resumes on @NASA TV.
Listen in:
Outbound and down.
Falcon 9, Dragon Endurance, and a new crew of 4 climb into the stars & onwards to humanity’s greatest outpost: the ISS.
📸 - @NASASpaceflight
Dragons breath.
📸: @WeAreSpaceScout
The chaos below 🔥
@Erdayastronaut
At the post-launch briefing, SpaceX's Benji Reed says the sensor issue noted during the Crew-7 countdown was detection of a small amount of vapor that could be a propellant leak. Analysis showed that it was well within the margins of the system.
Reed added the issue was cleared in the last two minutes of the countdown.
#Crew7 launches to the @Space_Station, captured (thanks to the sound of nine Merlins singing) by my camera a third of a mile away🚀
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1695343972040753208Just watched it, wow, that was a spicy entry and landing. It's a new booster I think? If there wasn't a fault could there perhaps be modifications to this Falcon 9 to reduce entry burn duration, such as an improved heat shield?QuoteSpaceX timeline called for 11-seconds of entry burn (short, but for RTLS), but this Booster only burned for about three seconds. Then fought a fair bit during the return but still managed to land!
Secondary to the smooth crew launch on Dragon, which all went well, but it is fascinating if the booster had an entry burn issue, but STILL got back to the landing site OK! Or SpaceX changed something and didn't update their timeline.
Let's see if we get an official answer during post-launch presser.
Falcon Flames Licking Launch Complex 39A. 🔥 @NASASpaceflight
Falcon 9 launches Crew-7, Dragon’s tenth human spaceflight to the @space_station
https://twitter.com/_mgde_/status/1695355935512731694QuoteOutbound and down.
Falcon 9, Dragon Endurance, and a new crew of 4 climb into the stars & onwards to humanity’s greatest outpost: the ISS.
📸 - @NASASpaceflight
9/25, 1:00pm: wake up ✅
9/25, 11:30pm: help friends get dressed✅
9/26, 3:27am: launch people to space✅
9/26, 6:40am: wheels up from MCO✅
9/26, 11:15am: wheels down in Wisconsin
9/26, 4:00pm: family event
9/26, 11:59pm: sleep (🤞🏻)
9/27, 9:00am: breakfast
9/27, 3:00pm: wheels up
9/27, 11:15pm: wheels down in LA
9/28, 8:00am start time for astronaut training
I genuinely love my life ❤️
GO Crew-7! 🤩🚀
Our docking coverage for #Crew7 will begin tomorrow at 6:45 a.m. EDT
Docking is slated for 8:39 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27. Tune in: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
Was it a 3 engine landing burn?
On droneship landing missions, it seems that entry burn starts at a velocity of about 8,000 km/sec and sheds about 2,000 km/sec. After entry burn shutdown, velocity sometimes sneaks back up a little before the quickly-thickening atmosphere reduces velocity rapidly.
I don't recall how RTLS missions differ in this regard.
So, to summarise, the maximum dynamic pressure on re-entry is similar for AX-2 and a generic Starlink launch, but was 16% higher for Crew-7, and would be 25% higher if the re-entry burn was deleted. The maximum heating was least for AX-2, but both Crew-7 and Crew-8? would still have less heating than a Starlink launch.
There is a small saving in propellant, 480kg for Crew-7, 860kg deleting re-entry entirely. Deleting re-entry might enable an additional 80kg of payload to orbit. It depends whether the Crew-7 short burn resulted in damage to the booster. If Crew-7 was undamaged by the higher than usual dynamic pressure, then perhaps the re-entry burn could be deleted for some future RTLS missions?
I don't think it's out of family - RTLS just does not require a long entry burn. This has been mentioned before (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=53881.msg2449895#msg2449895), and is even more apparent on FH side booster returns. They start their entry burns with a speed much lower than ASDS missions have at the end of their entry burns. My guess is that they still need the burn for steering, even if they do not need it for heating. So it can be *much* shorter.On droneship landing missions, it seems that entry burn starts at a velocity of about 8,000 km/sec and sheds about 2,000 km/sec. After entry burn shutdown, velocity sometimes sneaks back up a little before the quickly-thickening atmosphere reduces velocity rapidly.On ASDS returns, from my memory, typical entry burns start at 7900-8100 km/h (not km/sec :) ) and end at 5900-6400. It's something I check for every launch, watching to see if SpaceX is trying out a more aggressive entry. Sometimes I see a 8400 start and wonder ...QuoteI don't recall how RTLS missions differ in this regard.And if you are used to ASDS returns, the RTLS numbers are jarring, because they are MUCH lower, on the order of 4500 -> 3000. The boostback burn nulls out most of the horizontal component. Of course you can check the previous coverage for details.
Certainly an "out of family" entry -- I hope we learn more.
On the webcast there was a mention that 1st stage shuts down a little early and 2nd stage burns longer compared to previous crew missions. So, less velocity for the 1st stage to shed on entry.
Thanks to Steven and FST for the great coverage.Also, thank you to our NSF webcasters!
Another craziness on the #Crew7 mission: earlier @AstroJaws reported to #CORE that by looking out of the window they realized the blinking landing LEDs outside the #Dragon are constantly on. #SpaceX analyzed the situation and found out that pre-launch they were turned on as part of a functioning test and were forgot to put back off before launch. Since SpaceX has no telemetry on that system after liftoff they asked the #Crew7 crew to manually punch in the command to turn off the functioning test. That did the trick and the landing LEDs turned off outside #Dragon #Endurance.
Is it me or does this launch seem rushed? Landing LEDs not off, nosecone debris, forgot the patches. Until now it seemed well oiled.
CelesTrak has GP data for 1 object from the launch (2023-128) of Crew Dragon 7 to the ISS atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Aug 26 at 0727 UTC: spaceflightnow.com/2023/08/26/spa…. Data for the launch can be found at: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2023-128
Dragon performed a series of burns on its way to the @space_station, which is ~250 miles above Earth
Any views of Dragon 7 yet from Space Station
Crew-7 arriving at the ISS. Heading to Waypoint 0. About 45 minutes to docking for Dragon Endurance.
youtube.com/watch?v=bEsyo5…
F9/Crew-7: Good morning; we're monitoring Crew-7's approach to the International Space Station; docking now expected at 9:05am EDT (1305 UTC); hatch opening expected ~11am; welcome ceremony ~11:30am; times have been a bit fluid and may change slightly
Dragon is expected to dock with the @space_station at ~9:08 a.m. ET
Dragon on its way to the @space_station
Docking of Crew Dragon is proceeding well. Now moving to waypoint 1, 220 metres below the @Space_Station. #Crew7
Docking now expected at approx 14:08 BST/15:08 CEST. More details via @esaspaceflight
Watch live via #ESAWebTV esawebtv.esa.int/2
Dragon is go for docking with the @space_station
View from Dragon. Waypoint 2. Just 20 meters from the IDA. Dragon Endeavour is the welcoming party for Dragon Endurance.
DOCKED. Crew Dragon Endurance has docked with the ISS. Crew-7 has arrived at the ISS.
Overview:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/08/nasa-gives-crew-7-the-go-for-launch-to-iss-on-friday/
SpaceX livestream:
youtube.com/watch?v=bEsyo5…
F9/Crew-7: Docking sequence now complete; commander Jasmin Moghbeli: "I have to keep reminding myself this is not just a dream."
SpaceX Crew-7 Mission Docks to Station’s Harmony Module
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov arrived at the International Space Station as the SpaceX Dragon, named Endurance, docked to the complex at 9:16 a.m. EDT Sunday while the station was 261 statute miles over Queensland, Australia.
Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard the Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening.
Crew-7 will join the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Andrey Fedyaev. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-6 members Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev return to Earth a few days later.
NASA Television and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live continuous coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.
More details about the Crew-7 mission can be found by following the Crew-7 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/
Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe
Author Abby GrafPosted on August 27, 2023Categories Expedition 69Tags Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, International Space Station, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, Roscosmos, spacex
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft approaches the space station as it soars over Ontario on Aug. 27, 2023. Photo Credit: NASA TV
F9/Crew-7: More arrival comments. Moghbeli: "Thank you to the entire SpaceX team, to those who worked on the Falcon 9, on our Dragon and even on preparing us. ... We have to keep reminding ourselves when we open that hatch we're not walking out into the training center"
F9/Crew-7: Andreas Mogensen: "This is the first step of the journey. The real mission begins now on board the International Space Station. We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us that we look forward to"
F9/Crew-7: Satoshi Furukawa: "It was just like a training session in Hawthorne, California. And I'd like to express my appreciation to NASA, ESA, the USA, Roscosmos, JAXA and especially SpaceX for flying us safely to the International Space Station. Thank you"
F9/Crew-7: Konstantin Borisov: "Like my friends said, it was really, really close to what we have experienced during the training. ... Very excited, very happy to be on ISS. ... Thanks SpaceX for this marvelous vehicle"
F9/Crew-7: Flight controllers are working through an extensive series of check outs, verifying an airtight structure seal at Harmony's zenith docking port; hatch opening is expected around 11am EDT (1500 UTC) but the exact timing is TBD
Welcome #Crew7, to the International @Space_Station. Commander @AstroJaws and her crewmates are beginning a mission of about six months living and working on our orbiting lab.
F9/Crew-7: ISS commander Sergey Prokopyev: "Expedition 69 is very glad to greet new crewmates on International Space Station. ... My extreme congratulations for Jasmine and Konstantin, this your first flight, you became now real astronaut and cosmonaut"
F9/Crew-7: Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli: "It's so good to see all your smiling faces. As you know, we've been training together for a while for this exact moment where we could join you and continue the amazing work that's done on the International Space Station"
Aug. 27, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragons Endeavour and Endurance, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship, and the Progress 83 and 84 resupply ships.
Give me fuel, give me fire,
Give me that which I desire. 🔥🤘 #Crew7
@NASASpaceflight
Man, that is big piece of hardware that came off.
https://youtu.be/shorts/D3OdOhohjVA?loop=1&playlist=D3OdOhohjVA
Timestamped link to source video (http://youtu.be/5KeIAYTW8eQ?t=4888)
Shout out to my good friend @Astro_Jessica for 1) the kind words on the @NASA webcast and 2) not confusing me for my other good friend @Gillis_SarahE (what can I say, we both have great hair 💁🏻♀️). Mom, sound on 🔊
Man, that is big piece of hardware that came off.
Great to be back in space again and to see our beautiful Earth!
Some images from the Dragon taken of Europe and Africa almost touching and our approach to the space station. That “star” close to the moon is the ISS.
#WhatYouLoveYouWillProtect
Man, that is big piece of hardware that came off.Reformatted links:
...
Wowo! What the heck is that? What is happening?*One* thing happening is the forum breaking the time stamp for embedded video.
One week after @NASA's Crew-7 arrived at the @space_station, Dragon and the Crew-6 astronauts are set to depart on Sunday, September 3 → spacex.com/launches
Here's a hand-wavey argument to show the very short re-entry burn was likely plausible and deliberate.
First, note that RTLS entries with a long (20 second-ish) re-entry burn then have very low aerodynamic deceleration thereafter (about 2G) (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=54928.msg2446141#msg2446141).
Next, note that Starlink ASDS re-entry burns exit at a much higher velocity, and hence have a much higher atmospheric deceleration (about 6Gs) (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=58896.msg2499314#msg2499314)
Finally the two missions shown in the first example above shows a clear tradeoff. With an entry burn about 2 seconds shorter, the peak atmospheric deceleration is higher by about 0.3G. If this tradeoff continues (plausible as the widths of the two spikes are similar, and the sum of the area under the two curves must be the same) then a 20 second reduction in entry burn would result in about 3Gs more aero deceleration, or very roughly 5Gs total. But we know from the Starlink missions (second example above) that the booster can withstand about 6G aero deceleration without eating into its lifetime. And a 20 second reduction in the re-entry burn brings us to about 3 seconds, as observed.
Of course this is an oversimplification, as the RTLS is coming almost straight down whereas the ASDS missions still have a large horizontal component even after the entry burn. This means the RLTS mission will hit the denser atmosphere more quickly than ASDS entries, which may result in less total deceleration from similar peak deceleration. But it's very clear, however, that a much shorter entry burn will be allowed before the booster reaches the demonstrated 6G aero deceleration limit.
P.S. In retrospect, SpaceX has clearly been working up tp this. Here is transporter 7, with an 11 second, one engine, re-entry burn, followed by a 5G aero decleration (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=56357.msg2475735#msg2475735). This gave a very significant 163 m/s performance boost compared to Transporter-6, which used a classic 20 second re-entry burn. And an even shorter but 3-engine burn should be even more efficient. Plus there is still some margin to get to the 6G aero deceleration shown in the ASDS entries.
I've also noticed that they don't provide the telemetry for the booster after second stage sep on crew missions, like they do on Starlink ones (at least on Crew 6 and 7), which means none of the informative plots that our esteemed member @OneSpeed (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=profile;u=44955) has often provided, thus denying much analysis..
I've also noticed that they don't provide the telemetry for the booster after second stage sep on crew missions, like they do on Starlink ones (at least on Crew 6 and 7), which means none of the informative plots that our esteemed member @OneSpeed (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=profile;u=44955) has often provided, thus denying much analysis..
I've had my best shot at it here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42389.msg2520990#msg2520990
I wish I could fully capture how stunning the view from the Cupola is. It’s not just the view of Earth that amazes me, but also looking at this incredible orbiting laboratory we’ve constructed in space. @Space_Station is a testament to what humans can do when we work together.
260623Z JAN 24
NAVAREA IV 190/24(11).
GULF OF MEXICO.
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
A. 251520Z TO 251550Z FEB, ALTERNATE
260630Z FEB TO 031305Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
28-50.99N 080-13.80W.
B. 251520Z TO 251550Z FEB, ALTERNATE
260640Z FEB TO 031305Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-47.99N 080-40.01W.
C. 251510Z TO 251540Z FEB, ALTERNATE
260640Z FEB TO 031300Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
30-54.84N 080-15.00W.
D. 250725Z TO 250755Z FEB, ALTERNATE
251540Z FEB TO 031325Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-42.85N 086-10.86W.
E. 250730Z TO 250800Z FEB, ALTERNATE
251545Z FEB TO 031330Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-47.99N 087-30.00W.
F. 250715Z TO 250745Z FEB, ALTERNATE
251535Z FEB TO 031320Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-16.55N 084-12.00W.
G. 251540Z TO 251610Z FEB, ALTERNATE
260645Z FEB TO 031325Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
28-05.99N 083-54.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 031430Z MAR 24.
Crew Dragon Endurance, lit by the rising moon, with star trails and Earth-glow in the background - this is a 150 second, f11, ISO 1000 exposure.
Not pictured - the 10 blurry horrible messes before I snagged this one lol
221741Z FEB 24
NAVAREA IV 239/24(11).
GULF OF MEXICO.
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
A. 090150Z TO 090220Z AND 091020 TO 091050Z MAR
ALTERNATE 100130Z TO 160805Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 28-50.98N 080-13.80W.
B. 090200Z TO 090230Z AND 091015Z TO 091045Z MAR
ALTERNATE 100135Z TO 160800Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-47.98N 080-40.01W.
C. 091010Z TO 091040Z AND 100140Z TO 100210Z MAR
ALTERNATE 100945Z TO160755Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 30-54.83N 080-15.00W.
D. 101010Z TO 101045Z MAR
ALTERNATE 110130 TO 160035Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-42.85N 086-10.86W.
E. 100200Z TO 100230Z AND 101015 TO 101050Z
ALTERNATE 110135 TO 160040Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-47.98N 087-30.00W.
F. 090210Z TO 090240Z AND 091030 TO 091100Z MAR
ALTERNATE 101005Z TO 150020Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-16.54N 084-12.00W.
G. 101010Z TO 101040Z AND 110115Z TO 110210Z MAR
ALTERNATE 330920Z TO 150015Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF28-05.98N 083-54.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 160905Z MAR 24
A new NGA Space Debris notice for splashdown ...
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of
@NASA, Andreas Mogensen of @esa, Satoshi Furukawa of @jaxa_en, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov share farewell remarks ahead of their departure from the space station.
UPCOMING RETURN
CREW-7 TO RETURN TO EARTH
WATCH
SpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Monday, March 11 at 11:05 a.m. ET for Dragon to autonomously undock from the International Space Station. After performing a series of departure burns to move away from the space station, Dragon will conduct multiple orbit-lowering maneuvers, jettison the trunk, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for splashdown off the coast of Florida almost 19 hours later at approximately 5:50 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12.
Live webcast coverage of Crew-7’s return to Earth will begin on X @SpaceX about 15 minutes prior to undocking. Watch live.
Aboard the spacecraft will be Crew-7 NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, who flew to the space station on Dragon when Falcon 9 launched the spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, August 26.
101704Z MAR 24
NAVAREA IV 266/24(11).
GULF OF MEXICO.
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS:
A. 130020Z TO 130050Z AND 200600Z TO 200630Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140820Z TO 222055Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 28-50.98N 080-13.80W.
B. 130840Z TO 130910Z AND 202120Z TO 202150Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140815Z TO 222100Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-47.98N 080-40.01W.
C. 130835Z TO 130905Z AND 200550Z TO 200620Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140810Z TO 222105Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 30-54.83N 080-15.00W.
D. 120930Z TO 121000Z AND 162315Z TO 162345Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140020Z TO 220605Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-42.85N 086-10.86W.
E. 120935Z TO 121005Z AND 192210Z TO 192240Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 150005Z TO 220610Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-47.98N 087-30.00W.
F. 120920Z TO 120950Z AND 200615Z TO 200645Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140835Z TO 222110Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 29-16.54N 084-12.00W.
G. 120925Z TO 120955Z AND 200620Z TO 200650Z MAR,
ALTERNATE 140835Z TO 222105Z MAR
IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 28-05.98N 083-54.00W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 239/24.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 222210Z MAR 24.
SpaceX's Dragon Recovery ship Megan is well underway in the Gulf of Mexico to prepare for Crew-7 splashdown
Dragon's hatch is closed and the crew continues to prepare for undocking
Dragon is GO to undock from the @Space_Station
Crew 7: Mission control tells the crew they are "go" for undocking at 11:20am EDT (1520 UTC); the undock command will be issued 5 minutes earlier, followed by umbilical retraction and the opening of two sets of hooks holding the Crew Dragon in place
Crew 7: Undocking confirmed, at 11:20am EDT (1520 UTC); the spacecraft is backing away from the International Space Station; looking ahead, deorbit ignition is expected around 4:55am EDT Tuesday with splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico targeted for 5:50am (0950 UTC)
Dragon and four humans heading home.
Overview article covering the end of mission milestones - by Justin Davenport:
Departing the KOS (Keep Out Sphere).
Dragon Undocks From Station, Crew Headed Back to Earth
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov inside undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 11:20 a.m. EDT to complete a nearly six-month science mission.
NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the space station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.
NASA TV coverage will resume at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday until Dragon splashes down at approximately 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, off the coast of Florida and Crew-7 members are recovered.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission launched Aug. 26, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
Looks like this will be a descending node entry, so flying in across the continental US and approaching the Florida waters from the northwest? If so, a somewhat rare sighting / hearing opportunity for many of us, especially with the clear weather, although that 5:xx AM time is no fun :)
I watched the docking coverage and have reviewed this thread. They've said they are landing in the Gulf, so one of the western targets, but have they said which one yet? Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, Tampa? I know they used to not say at all (after the extremely regrettable Demo-2 incident) but more recently they have been saying it. Not decided yet?
I watched the docking coverage and have reviewed this thread. They've said they are landing in the Gulf, so one of the western targets, but have they said which one yet? Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, Tampa? I know they used to not say at all (after the extremely regrettable Demo-2 incident) but more recently they have been saying it. Not decided yet?
Based upon where Megan is (see previous page) Tampa is probably out.
I just checked (126 PM MDT) and Megan is almost due south of Pensacola. It probably could easily change positions to support a Panama City splashdown.
Megan has now arrived at the Crew-7 splashdown site near Pensacola. Splashdown is set for 5:50am ET on Tuesday morning
For these operations, the United States Coast Guard, in coordination with SpaceX and NASA, establishes a safety zone to ensure public safety and for the safety of those involved in the recovery operations, as well as the crew onboard the returning spacecraft. Multiple notices are issued to the Mariners in advance and during recovery operations, and Coast Guard patrol assets may be deployed to discourage boaters from entering the splashdown zones.
We want to stress to the public the need to respect this safety zone. Recovering a spacecraft from the water is a hazardous operation and any other boats interfering increases risk to the astronauts in the capsule, the teams working to recover them from the water, and the safety of those that come too close.
For the safety of the crew, and your safety, we recommend you sit back and watch on NASA TV and the SpaceX webcast as we'll be bringing you the best possible views of our astronauts homecoming.
2:52 PM · Mar 11, 2024
Crew is awake and I think I heard Jaws say they were starting fluid loading.
Rob Navias on audio duty
Crew 7: Good morning; Crew 7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA flier Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are now 1 hour from the deorbit burn designed to put the ship on a trajectory toward splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
Crew 7: The burn is expected to begin around 4:56am EDT (0856 UTC), slowing the ship by about 212 mph, just enough to drop the far side of the orbit into the discernible atmosphere for a NW-to-SE descent across the heartland of America
Crew 7: With good weather in the Gulf, splashdown is expected at 5:47am (0947 UTC), closing out a 199-day 2-hour mission spanning 3,184 orbits and 84.4 million miles
Crew is awake and I think I heard Jaws say they were starting fluid loading.
Watch Dragon and Crew-7 return to Earth
After Dragon reenters Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft will fly over the United States ahead of splashing down near Pensacola, FL at ~5:47 a.m. ET
Crew 7: The deorbit burn is underway; this is a planned 13.5-minute burn by the Crew Dragon's forward Draco thrusters that will change the spacecraft's velocity by about 95 meters per second, or ~212 mph
Crew 7: The deorbit burn is complete; SpaceX reports good performance; the Crew Dragon nose cone is closing for re-entry
Dragon’s deorbit burn is complete and its nosecone is closed. Splashdown in ~34 minutes
Crew 7: The Crew Dragon has fallen back into the discernible atmosphere, on a NW-to-SE trajectory that will carry it across the central US toward splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola, Florida; now about 12 minutes to splashdown
Dragon’s four main parachutes have deployed
Crew 7: Splashdown confirmed; at 5:47am EDT (1047 UTC), within sight of SpaceX recovery crews
Welcome home! 🏠
@NASA’s @SpaceX #Crew7 splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 am ET after 197 days aboard @Space_Station completing important @ISS_Research.
And splashdown!
#Crew7 has returned to Earth after spending nearly six-months aboard the @Space_Station conducting science and research. The crew safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5:47am ET on Tuesday, March 12.
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, @AstroJaws, @Astro_Andreas, @Astro_Satoshi, and Kostya!
Off I-10 in Alabama mile marker 44 looking west #SpaceX #NASA #Crew7 returning to Earth for a splash down south of Pensacola Florida! Spacenewsfl.com
The @SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen as it returns with #Crew7 off the coast of Florida after a nearly six-month mission to @Space_Station Keep checking back from more 📸 - flic.kr/s/aHBqjBheSC
Crew 7's reentry seen from New Orleans, LA.
Taken from the western shore of the Mighty Mississippi River in Gretna.
My sister captured the @SpaceX #CrewDragon capsule reentry early this morning from our hometown, Salina, KS.
A selection of more NASA photos from flickr
Welcome home, #Crew7! 🌎
Dragon recovery ship Megan is sailing up the coastline towards Port Canaveral with the Crew-7 Dragon, following splashdown earlier this week. Hopefully arriving later this afternoon/evening.
Arrival! Dragon recovery ship Megan delivers the Crew-7 Dragon Endurance back to Cape Canaveral for processing, following Tuesday's splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. 🎥 nsf.live/spacecoast
I love that the SpaceX Dragon recovery ships aren't over-sized but just right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_(ship)
- Clearly in use by a cost-conscious organisation.
It always looked a bit exaggerated to have capsules recovered by aircraft carriers.
These little boats are just right for the job.
The Guice Offshore vessels of the type that SpaceX turned into Megan and Shannon are quite capable of crossing oceans. They have conducted missions to places like Honduras and Nigeria.There is a big difference in ocean crossing and conducting operations in the middle of the ocean. ::)
Why would SpaceX deliberately plan to do mid-ocean Dragon splashdowns? If it happens in an emergency, then the emergency response crew must handle it using quick-response assets. These might include any naval and/or commercial ships in the area. Bigger SpaceX ships would not help.The Guice Offshore vessels of the type that SpaceX turned into Megan and Shannon are quite capable of crossing oceans. They have conducted missions to places like Honduras and Nigeria.There is a big difference in ocean crossing and conducting operations in the middle of the ocean. ::)
Why would SpaceX deliberately plan to do mid-ocean Dragon splashdowns? If it happens in an emergency, then the emergency response crew must handle it using quick-response assets. These might include any naval and/or commercial ships in the area. Bigger SpaceX ships would not help.
Drogue chutes deployment.
Drogue chutes deployment.
Assuming this is WB-57 video, this picture is the best I've seen off the sensor suite. From a report at the War Zone about the plane circling Langley AFB during a rash of drone sightings. https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
Drogue chutes deployment.
Assuming this is WB-57 video, this picture is the best I've seen off the sensor suite. From a report at the War Zone about the plane circling Langley AFB during a rash of drone sightings. https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
Yeah, the video was excellent. Here is another view of this aircraft.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=58288.msg2458651#msg2458651
Drogue chutes deployment.
Assuming this is WB-57 video, this picture is the best I've seen off the sensor suite. From a report at the War Zone about the plane circling Langley AFB during a rash of drone sightings. https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
Yeah, the video was excellent. Here is another view of this aircraft.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=58288.msg2458651#msg2458651
I posted the pic because everyone I've seen previously is like the one you posted, the sensors are not in view :). Does the solid black engine nacelle on one side mean the sensors only look that direction (like on Cobra Ball)?
Drogue chutes deployment.
Assuming this is WB-57 video, this picture is the best I've seen off the sensor suite. From a report at the War Zone about the plane circling Langley AFB during a rash of drone sightings. https://www.twz.com/air/mysterious-drones-swarmed-langley-afb-for-weeks
Yeah, the video was excellent. Here is another view of this aircraft.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=58288.msg2458651#msg2458651
I posted the pic because everyone I've seen previously is like the one you posted, the sensors are not in view :). Does the solid black engine nacelle on one side mean the sensors only look that direction (like on Cobra Ball)?
I've seen that at the Edwards Air show. It appears to be able to move left to right 270 deg. I'm not 100% sure if the ball can also move all around (up and down as well) allowing it to track upwards rather than banking the aircraft. I'll look around.
After spending 199 days in space, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 2:30 p.m. EDT Monday, March 25, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Following Safe Return, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 to Recount Space Mission
Tiernan P. Doyle
MAR 20, 2024
MEDIA ADVISORY
M24-043
NASA Headquarters
After spending 199 days in space, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 crew members will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 2:30 p.m. EDT Monday, March 25, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, splashing down at 5:47 a.m., March 12, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, before flying back to Houston. Crew will answer media questions about their mission aboard the space station and their return to Earth.
Event coverage will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
Media are invited to attend in-person or virtually. Media must RSVP to the Johnson newsroom no later than 12:30 p.m. March 25 at [email protected] or 281-483-5111. Media should dial-in to the news conference by 2 p.m. the day of the event to ask a question. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.
The crew spent six-and-a-half months in space, with 197 days total aboard the space station. During the mission, Moghbeli completed a spacewalk, a first in her career, alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara. It was the first spaceflight for Moghbeli and Borisov, and the second for Furukawa and Mogensen.
The crew lived and worked aboard the station since Aug. 26, 2023. During the mission, crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, including studying plant immune function in microgravity, testing materials in the space environment, and observing thunderstorms to understand the effects of lightning and electrical activity on Earth’s climate and atmosphere. These experiments are helping to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth.
They spent five days with the newly arrived crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, who docked to the station on March 5, and conducted a direct handover introducing three first-time flyers to the space station, discussing ongoing tasks and system statuses.
Get the latest NASA space station news, images, and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
-end-
The Dragon Trunk from the Crew-7 mission reentered the atmosphere over Birmingham, Alabama at 2016 UTC (3.16 pm CDT) along a northeast track with potential debris fall in Tennessee, western Virginia and West Virginia (I'm guessing not as far downrange as Harrisburg PA though).
Debris on the ground in Haywood County NC.
This definitely looks consistent with being a bit of the Crew-7 Dragon's trunk which reentered on a path right over this location on Tuesday
...
The discovery of @SpaceX Dragon trunk debris from the Crew-7 mission in North Carolina, following debris from the Ax-3 trunk in Saskatchewan and from the Crew-1 trunk in Australia, makes it clear that the materials from the trunk regularly survive reentry in large chunks
Mike Wooten was watching television in his living room in Franklin, North Carolina around dusk on May 21 when he heard a 'thump' on the roof. He thought it might have been a bird flying into his upstairs window.
When Wooten went outside to investigate, he found something lying on his lawn that "looked like a dead crow," he said.
To his surprise, it wasn't a bird at all, but an object that he suspects had fallen from space.
Wooten described the object as 15 inches long, 4 inches wide, and weighing about two or three pounds. He said it resembled a car air filter with bolts, only melted.
Wooten believes both objects belong to SpaceX, and that his smaller object may have separated from the larger one as it re-entered the atmosphere. He said he plans to connect with people at the Glamping Collective and see if the two pieces fit together and, if so, would leave the piece there for display.