Hope it's ok to ask a question on an update thread? Is it now likely that (think I've seen slippage notification somewhere) this flight will take place before the Boeing next test flight? i.e. SpaceX will have flown 3 crewed flights, one reusing both a booster and capsule before Boeing have flown once (un-crewed) to the ISS.
NASA and SpaceX have pushed the launch date of the Crew-2 mission from April 20 to NET April 22, likely in search of an optimal launch window.
http://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.htmlQuoteFALCON 9The next Crew Dragon carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22 at 6:11am EDT. Sunrise is 6:49am. The launch time gets 22-26 minutes earlier each day.
FALCON 9The next Crew Dragon carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station is targeted for April 22 at 6:11am EDT. Sunrise is 6:49am. The launch time gets 22-26 minutes earlier each day.
https://www.nasa.gov/launchschedule/#.U0NkJ6L-6c4QuoteNo Earlier Than: April 22, 2021Mission: NASA, SpaceX Crew-2 Mission to the International Space Station
No Earlier Than: April 22, 2021Mission: NASA, SpaceX Crew-2 Mission to the International Space Station
The launch time April 22 is set for 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 GMT), a NASA spokesperson said.
Assuming the mission — designated Crew-2 — takes off as scheduled April 22, the Crew Dragon will dock with the space station around 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT) on April 23, the NASA spokesperson told Spaceflight Now.
@Thom_astro will be the fourth European commander to command the ISS, after Frank de Winne in 2009, @Astro_Alex in 2018 and @astro_luca in 2019.
Mission paperwork has been filed with the FCC for communications during Falcon 9 launch and recovery operations.0249-EX-ST-2021QuoteThis application uses information from previous grant 1335-EX-ST-2020. This STA is necessary to authorize launch vehicle communications for SpaceX Mission 1402 launching from LC-39a at KSC, and the experimental recovery operation following the Falcon 9 launch. The application includes a sub-orbital first stage, and an orbital second stage. Trajectory data shall be provided directly to NTIA, USAF, and NASA. All downrange Earth stations are receive-only. All operations are pre-coordinated with the Launch Range. Launch licensing authority is FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
This application uses information from previous grant 1335-EX-ST-2020. This STA is necessary to authorize launch vehicle communications for SpaceX Mission 1402 launching from LC-39a at KSC, and the experimental recovery operation following the Falcon 9 launch. The application includes a sub-orbital first stage, and an orbital second stage. Trajectory data shall be provided directly to NTIA, USAF, and NASA. All downrange Earth stations are receive-only. All operations are pre-coordinated with the Launch Range. Launch licensing authority is FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
0400-EX-ST-2021https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=106219This application uses information from grant 1728-EX-ST-2020. STA is necessary for SARSAT (search and rescue) beacon on the Crew Dragon capsule for the Crew-2 mission. This system uses the COSPAS-SARSAT TAC #706 (type certification) for the beacon, with a custom antenna that is not type certified. A one-time waiver for Crew-2 is submitted as an exhibit to support this temporary authorization for Crew-2 return mission.Purpose of OperationPost-splashdown emergency location beacon to support search and rescue operations of the Crew-2 Dragon spacecraft in coordination with Air Force DET3.
From left, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Crew-2 mission specialist; NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, Crew-2 pilot; NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, Crew-2 spacecraft commander; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Crew-2 mission specialist.
Following the latest in a series of reviews for the second crew rotation mission with astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from the United States, NASA and SpaceX managers and engineers continue to prepare for launch of the Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station no earlier than 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22. Mission teams also are targeting the return of the Crew-1 astronauts on Wednesday, April 28, with undocking about 5 a.m. and splashdown approximately 12:35 p.m. off the coast of Florida.The most recent review on Monday hosted by the International Space Station Program is one of several reviews that include SpaceX and the Commercial Crew Program culminating with the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) April 15. That FRR formally sets the official launch time and date.With Crew-2 mission preparations continuing, Crew-1 astronauts also are preparing to relocate the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft from one space station docking port to another on April 5 to clear the desired location for Crew-2’s arrival. This is the start of a process that allows Crew-2 to dock to the Harmony Node 2 forward port, freeing up the Node 2 Zenith port – following Crew-1 departure – for extraction of the new solar arrays from the SpaceX CRS-22 cargo mission’s trunk when it arrives.Crew-2 will be the first mission to fly two international partner crew members as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will join as mission specialists.Following a short handover, Crew-1 NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, plan to return home off the coast of Florida about five days after the Crew-2 arrival to the space station as long as mission priorities and weather cooperate.
The flight suit boots look different from the previous missions. Have they been modified ?
Quote from: hektor on 03/31/2021 07:50 amThe flight suit boots look different from the previous missions. Have they been modified ?Yes - now the boots are higher and design look different:
