SpaceX and @NASA completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities with the four Crew-2 astronauts
L-4: Today was dry dress ! It means we rehearsed the entire launch day operations (in the middle of the night). The team was on deck and it felt real–even the playlist we listened to on the way to the rocket 🎶😉. Next time we drive to that pad, we won’t be driving back... 🚀🛑🚗
UPCOMING LAUNCHCREW-2 MISSIONSpaceX and NASA are targeting Thursday, April 22 for Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s second six-month operational crew mission (Crew-2) to the International Space Station (ISS) from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window opens at 6:11 a.m. EDT, 10:11 UTC, with a backup opportunity available on Friday, April 23 at 5:49 a.m. EDT, 9:49 UTC.Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.This is the first human spaceflight mission to fly astronauts on a flight-proven Falcon 9 and Dragon. The Falcon 9 first stage supporting this mission previously launched the Crew-1 mission in November 2020, and the Dragon spacecraft previously flew Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to and from the International Space Station during SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission in 2020.As part of the Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly aboard the Dragon spacecraft during the Crew-2 mission. On Friday, April 23, at approximately 5:30 a.m. EDT, 9:30 UTC, Dragon will autonomously dock with the International Space Station. This will be the first time Dragon will fly two international partners and it will also be the first time two Crew Dragons are attached simultaneously to the orbiting laboratory.After an approximate six-month stay, Dragon and the Crew-2 astronauts will depart from the space station no earlier than October 31 for return to Earth and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The Crew-2 mission webcast will go live about 4 hours before liftoff. Tune in here to watch live.
Join us live at 8 a.m. EDT (12:00 UTC) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a news update on NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission, targeted for liftoff Thurs., April 22 at 6:11 a.m. EDT (10:11 UTC).The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft will carry astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the International Space Station.Experts from NASA, SpaceX, ESA, JAXA, and the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron will discuss the launch. Participants are:• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson• Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, Johnson• Norm Knight, deputy manager, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson• Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX• Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station Program, JAXA• Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA• Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron
