SpaceX F9 / Crew Dragon : Crew-2 - LAUNCH - RNDZ - DOCKING: Apr.23/25 - UPDATES

[Rondaz]

LIVE | Countdown Clock briefing on NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission

[Rondaz]

#Crew2 will be ready when all the pieces come together!

https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan/status/1384847444752617474

[jacqmans]

April 21, 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY M21-047

NASA Updates Launch Date, TV Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

Editor's Note: This advisory updates the original advisory issued April 9, 2021.

NASA will provide updated coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. The launch now is targeted for 5:49 a.m. EDT Friday, April 23, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, due to unfavorable weather conditions forecast along the flight path for Thursday.

This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners. The flight follows certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station about 5:10 a.m. Saturday, April. 24. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)  astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a six-month science mission.

The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: [email protected]

All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below, and only a limited number of media will be accommodated at Kennedy due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Please note that the Kennedy Press Site facilities will remain closed throughout these events for the protection of Kennedy employees and journalists, except for a limited number of previously credentialed media.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Friday, April 23

1:30 a.m. – NASA Television launch coverage begins. NASA Television will have continuous coverage, including docking, hatch opening, and welcome ceremony.

7:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administrator
Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate
Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA
SpaceX representative
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 7 a.m. Thursday, April 22.

Saturday, April 24

5:10 a.m. – Docking

7:15 a.m. – Hatch Opening

7:45 a.m. – Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station with the following participants:

Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administrator
Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Hiroshi Yamakawa, president, JAXA
Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA
NASA TV Launch Coverage

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 1:30 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/live

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA Website Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 1:30 a.m. Friday, April 23, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at: 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:

http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Public Participation

NASA invites the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch. Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests.

NASA’s virtual launch experience for Crew-2 includes curated launch resources, a digital boarding pass, notifications about NASA Social interactions, and the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a successful launch.

Register for email updates or RSVP to the Facebook event for social media updates to stay up-to-date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities.

Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual launch passport. Stamps will be emailed following launches to all virtual attendees registered by email through Eventbrite.

Engage kids and students in virtual and hands-on activities that are both family-friendly and educational through Next Gen STEM Commercial Crew.

Watch and Engage on Social Media

Stay connected with the mission on social media via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LaunchAmerica. Follow and tag these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @Commercial_Crew, @Space_Station, @NASAKennedy
Facebook: NASA, NASA Commercial Crew, ISS Facebook, Kennedy Space Center
Instagram: NASA, ISS Instagram, NASA Kennedy
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-2 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA TV, approximately four hours prior to launch.

Once the feed is live, it will be available here:

http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom

Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more Spanish-language coverage on Crew-2.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Kristina Irastorza 321-607-4073 y Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

[Jansen]

New L-2 forecast

90% GO for primary day on April 23, with low risk on booster recovery.

Drops to 70% on secondary launch days.

[Ken the Bin]

New NGA notices with April 22 removed and April 27 added.

211425Z APR 21
NAVAREA IV 323/21(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   230939Z TO 231025Z APR, ALTERNATE
   260828Z TO 260914Z AND 270805Z TO 270850Z APR
   IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-38-01N 080-36-59W, 28-39-00N 080-35-00W,
      28-38-00N 080-33-00W, 28-37-00N 080-33-00W,
      28-36-00N 080-35-00W, 28-36-00N 080-35-11W.
   B. 28-39-13N 080-37-51W, 28-41-00N 080-34-00W,
      28-51-00N 080-21-00W, 28-48-00N 080-17-00W,
      28-36-00N 080-25-00W, 28-33-38N 080-34-30W.
   C. 31-38-00N 077-28-00W, 32-14-00N 077-02-00W,
      32-39-00N 076-19-00W, 32-27-00N 076-07-00W,
      31-53-00N 076-38-00W, 31-29-00N 077-17-00W.
2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 311/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 270950Z APR 21.

211414Z APR 21
HYDROPAC 1216/21(61,74,75).
INDIAN OCEAN.
SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN.
DNC 03, DNC 04.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   231020Z TO 231108Z APR, ALTERNATE
   260909Z TO 260957Z AND 270846Z TO 270933Z APR
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   20-47S 079-46E, 20-12S 081-13E,
   25-34S 088-19E, 36-18S 101-47E,
   47-20S 119-50E, 48-34S 119-08E,
   48-10S 115-48E, 43-51S 104-04E,
   37-44S 093-56E, 28-42S 084-39E,
   24-10S 081-13E.
2. CANCEL HYDROPAC 1176/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 271033Z APR 21.

[Rondaz]

#MissionAlpha We have a new launch schedule because the weather is unfavorable: Friday April 23 at 11:49 am [email protected]
Aldrin gave me 2 tips when I became an astronaut: "Respect your elders ... and learn to be patient." "Safety first !

https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1384876637771161600

[Rondaz]

Acting NASA Administrator, Partners Discuss Crew-2 Mission, Now Set for April 23

Linda Herridge Posted on April 21, 2021

With the countdown clock and Launch Pad 39A serving as a backdrop, acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk participated in a briefing for the Crew-2 mission at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 21, at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

The briefing came after Crew-2’s launch was rescheduled to Friday, April 23, at 5:49 a.m. EDT, because of unfavorable weather conditions along the flight path. Although conditions around the launch site were expected to be favorable for a Thursday, April 22, liftoff, mission teams also must consider conditions along the flight path and recovery area in the unlikely event of a launch escape.

“We’re now scheduled for ‘go’ on Friday and the crew is ready,” said Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. “I could not be more proud of the Commercial Crew Program, the SpaceX and NASA teams, and what they’ve been able to do to enable reliable, safe, effective transportation to and from space. We are looking forward to a great launch.”

Crew-2 is the second crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the space station and the first carrying two international crew members. Mission astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, will head to the International Space Station for a six-month science mission in the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A.

“On behalf of JAXA, I’d like to express my gratitude to the launch team,” said Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate. “Last night, I spoke with Akihiko Hoshide, and he is ready for launch. I am excited that two Japanese astronauts – Akihiko Hoshide and Soichi Noguchi – will meet together at the International Space Station. I’m looking forward to the Crew-2 launch and wishing them great success.”

The crew will conduct science and maintenance during their six-month stay aboard the space station and will return no earlier than Oct. 31. Adding more crew members aboard the microgravity laboratory increases the time available for scientific activities. The November 2020 addition of the Crew-1 astronauts more than doubled crew hours spent on science research and support activities, and Crew-2 will continue the important investigations and technology demonstrations that are preparing for future Artemis missions to the Moon, helping us improve our understanding of Earth’s climate, and improving life on our home planet.

An important scientific focus on this expedition is continuing a series of Tissue Chips in Space studies. Tissue chips are small models of human organs containing multiple cell types that behave much the same as they do in the body. Another important element of Crew-2’s mission is augmenting the station’s solar power system by installing the first pair of six new ISS Roll-out Solar Arrays (iROSA).

“It’s an exciting time for us,” said Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program. “We will have much more time to do research, science, but also technology development that we will need for the future of the Artemis program and for the future exploration of our solar system.”

Crew Dragon will deliver more than 500 pounds of cargo, as well as new science hardware and experiments, including CHIME, a university student-led investigation to study possible causes for suppressed immune response in microgravity.

For an April 23 launch, the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff based on Falcon 9 Crew Dragon launch weather criteria. The primary weather concerns for the launch area will be liftoff winds. Conditions also are expected to improve along the flight path and recovery area for the mission.

NASA TV coverage of Crew-2 launch preparations and liftoff will begin at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, April 23. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station Saturday, April 24, at approximately 5:10 a.m. EDT.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-2/2021/04/21/acting-nasa-administrator-partners-discuss-crew-2-mission-now-set-for-april-23/

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1384910784900239360

The timeline for SpaceX and NASA's Crew-2 launch on Friday, with the astronauts waking up just after 11pm EDT and getting their suits on at 1:49 am, for a 5:49:02 am liftoff:

[SMS]

So we have now:

(GMT/UTC)
launch: = = = =  = docking with ISS:
April 23                    April 24
9:49:02                   9:10
and for future?

= = =
According to: https://www.spacex.com/launches/

a backup opportunity available on Monday, April 26 at 4:38 a.m. EDT, 8:48 UTC!

April 26                  April 27
8:?8                     8:??

[TJL]

With an on-time launch Friday, if skies are clear, I'm hoping to get a view of launch from Long Island, NY as Crew 2 approaches orbit just before 6:00 a.m.

[Ken the Bin]

April 26                  April 27
8:48                     8:??

April 27 = ~08:15.

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/Astro_Jessica/status/1384944630484111360

https://twitter.com/Astro_Jessica/status/1384943128466137091

[Ken the Bin]

According to: https://www.spacex.com/launches/

a backup opportunity available on Monday, April 26 at 4:38 a.m. EDT, 8:48 UTC!

April 26                  April 27
8:48                     8:??

I see that SpaceX has a typo: "4:38 a.m. EDT, 8:48 UTC!"

4:38am EDT is correct.  8:48 UTC should be 8:38 UTC.

[soltasto]

Updated "press kit" with OCR

[SMS]

According to: https://www.spacex.com/launches/

a backup opportunity available on Monday, April 26 at 4:38 a.m. EDT, 8:48 UTC!

April 26                  April 27
8:48                     8:??

I see that SpaceX has a typo: "4:38 a.m. EDT, 8:48 UTC!"

4:38am EDT is correct.  8:48 UTC should be 8:38 UTC.

Backup #1
Launch: 4/23 09:49:01 UTC Dock: 4/24 09:10:00 UTC
Backup #2
Launch: 4/26 08:38:10 UTC Dock: 4/27 08:00:00 UTC
Backup #3
Launch: 4/27 08:15:37 UTC Dock: 4/28 07:40:00 UTC

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1385001937117097991

Tracking shows that Of Course I Still Love You droneship has arrived at the booster landing zone, 542 km downrange, for the Crew-2 mission.

[Rondaz]

Resave the dates! Launch and docking of #Crew2 with @thom_astro.

Liftoff 23 April 11:49 CEST (10:49 BST, 05:49 local, an hour before sun rise.

Docking 24 April 11:10 CEST (10:10 BST)

https://twitter.com/esaspaceflight/status/1385157170350669825

[Jansen]

Still 90% GO for primary, all additional risks now low.

Improvement to 80% GO for backup days.

[Rondaz]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 4/21/2021

Crew-2 Launch Delay: Teams discussed the weather forecast for the Thursday April 22 Crew-2 launch attempt and all concurred with delaying the launch. Winds and wave heights along the ascent corridor, including at the pad and staging areas, are predicted to be unfavorable for Thursday. The new target launch date is Friday April 23 at 4:49AM CT. Docking would occur on Saturday, April 24 at 4:10AM CT.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/commercial_crew/status/1385229108230037504

The countdown is ON!⏰🚀

Tomorrow morning at 5:49 a.m. ET, @NASA's @SpaceX Crew-2 mission will launch from @NASAKennedy. Live coverage begins on April 23 at 1:30 a.m. ET. Will you be tuning in? go.nasa.gov/2ROq2uF