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The Next Launch Opportunity for the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is May 30 Falcon 9 • Crew Dragon Demo 2
Launch time: 19:22:45 GMT (
3:22:45 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
THIS FLIGHT WILL BE A MANNED LAUNCH <---*(
VIEW THE FALCON 9 MANNED LAUNCH PLAYBACK VIDEO BROADCAST)*--->
*(
NASA T.V.)*
https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg *(
NASA CLEAN FEED)*
https://youtu.be/nA9UZF-SZoQ <---*(
SPACE X MISSION AUDIO)*--->
https://youtu.be/hxCzpa07dvgA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first test flight with astronauts on-board to the International
Space Station under the auspices of NASA’s commercial crew program. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will fly on the Demo-2 mission. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea.
Delayed from June, July 25, Sept.21,2019-- February, April and May 7,2020
Scrubbed on May 27 due to bad weather
WELCOME TO TODAY,S LAUNCH TIMELINE 05/29/2020 11:27SpaceX and NASA officials will meet at 2 p.m. today for another launch readiness review to discuss the status of the Falcon 9 rocket,
the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the weather forecast to decide whether to proceed with a launch attempt Saturday at 3:22:45 p.m.
EDT (1922:45 GMT).
VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200529152745_506744.png05/29/2020 18:36NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has tweeted that mission managers this afternoon opted to continue with launch preparations for the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission until tomorrow morning.
Teams will then reassess weather conditions and decide whether to press on with a launch attempt tomorrow at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT), or target a launch opportunity Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT).
TWITTER MESSAGEJim Bridenstine
✔
@JimBridenstine
No decision on weather right now for Saturday’s test flight of @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon spacecraft. Will reassess in the morning. #LaunchAmerica
4,957
5:35 PM - May 29, 2020
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05/30/2020 00:26Mission managers are weighing a motley mix of weather models, safety criteria and astronaut workload considerations as they decide when SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft might have the best chance to launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
The launch could occur as soon as Saturday, when the Crew Dragon’s first piloted test flight has an opportunity to lift off from pad 39A at 3:22:45 p.m. EDT (1922:45 GMT). Each day’s launch time is determined by when the Earth’s rotation brings pad 39A under the orbital ground track of the International Space Station, the mission’s destination.
Launch opportunities move around 22-to-23 minutes earlier each day.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will ride into orbit on the Crew Dragon spacecraft atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will mark the first crewed flight into orbit from U.S. soil since the space shuttle was retired in 2011.
There are 50/50 odds of acceptable weather for launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft Saturday, according to the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron. Slightly better weather is in the forecast Sunday, when there’s a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions for liftoff at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT).
SpaceX and NASA officials completed a “delta” Launch Readiness Review on Friday and determined the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon capsule and ground systems were ready for another launch attempt Saturday.
But officials planned to meet again Saturday morning before go ahead with further launch preparations, such as having the astronauts put on their flight suits and head to the launch pad.
“Teams still want more weather data to determine if they will proceed with a launch attempt (Saturday) or focus on the backup
attempt on Sunday, May 31,” NASA said in an update posted online late Friday.
Read Our Full Story.https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/29/mission-managers-weigh-weather-odds-in-deciding-next-crew-dragon-launch-attempt/VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200530042651_841542.jpeg05/30/2020 07:06NASA and SpaceX officials are expected to decide this morning whether to proceed with another Crew Dragon launch attempt today.
The weather outlook this afternoon is stormy along Florida's Space Coast, with 1 to 2 inches of rain expected, frequent lightning and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph.
05/30/2020 07:39SpaceX’s Elon Musk says teams are proceeding with a countdown today at the Kennedy Space Center, targeting launch of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on the Crew Dragon capsule at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT).
There remains a 50-50 chance of good weather for launch this afternoon.
05/30/2020 09:18Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner, flight engineer on the International Space Station, has tweeted a picture he took yesterday of the Kennedy Space Center as the research complex sailed more than 250 miles overhead.
TWITTER MESSAGE / IMAGESIvan Vagner
@ivan_mks63
.@Astro_Doug, @AstroBehnken — waiting for you at the International @Space_Station!
We were flying over Cape Canaveral yesterday and I captured the legendary launching complex No. 39. Now the world’s first
commercial crewed spacecraft #CrewDragon is about to launch.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZQAnNTXYAAPts7?format=jpg&name=4096x409605/30/2020 10:28TWITTER MESSAGESpaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Check out photos taken yesterday at launch pad 39A, where SpaceX’s 215-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft await launch with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken at 3:22pm EDT (1922 GMT), weather permitting.
MORE PHOTOS:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/30/photos-falcon-9-and-crew-dragon-await-next-launch-attempt/ …
05/30/2020 11:15Viewers can toggle between two video feeds during today's countdown and launch. NASA TV's video coverage will include interviews, video segments and other features during the countdown.
A clean feed is also being provided by NASA, which will include only the audio from the SpaceX launch team and communications between the astronauts and mission control in Hawthorne, California.
05/30/2020 11:15Dragon astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are receiving a weather briefing at this time to get an update on evolving conditions
at the Kennedy Space Center and at downrange abort sites.
05/30/2020 11:19Based on the latest weather briefing to the Dragon astronauts, there's still a 50 percent chance of acceptable conditions at today's launch time of 3:22:45 p.m. EDT (1922:45 GMT).
Conditions at downrange abort sites in the Atlantic Ocean also appear favorable at this time.
05/30/2020 11:22NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have been handed over to SpaceX at the Kennedy Space Center on time to begin putting on their pressure suits inside the Operations and Checkout Building.
05/30/2020 11:24Hurley and Behnken have put on their SpaceX-made pressure suits inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center.
They will wear these suits during launch and re-entry, and the garments provide pressurized breathing air to the astronauts.
05/30/2020 11:25These spacesuits were designed and built by SpaceX. The company has a team of design engineers and sewers who build the suits, which are custom-made for each astronaut.
05/30/2020 11:27The SpaceX launch team confirms they are "go" for the advance team to enter pad 39A to prepare for the arrival of the astronauts.
05/30/2020 11:28SpaceX confirms the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are tracking no constraints for launch today.
05/30/2020 11:28SpaceX confirms the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are tracking no constraints for launch today.
05/30/2020 11:30TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEOHere's a video clip of Hurley and Behnken in the suit-up room at the Operations and Checkout Building.
Spaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Watch as astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken check their pressures suits before departing for the launch pad. Follow our live coverage:
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126675366329022464005/30/2020 11:42SpaceX reports the crew's suit leak checks are now complete.
05/30/2020 11:48NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has greeted the astronauts in the O&C Building before they head to pad 39A.
05/30/2020 11:49TWITTER MESSAGEJim Bridenstine
✔
@JimBridenstine
Best selfie ever! #LaunchAmerica
View Image on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1266757867085987840/photo/105/30/2020 11:58Hurley and Behnken have left the suit-up room and boarded an elevator on their walk out of the O&C Building.
05/30/2020 12:02Following a route blazed by pioneering Apollo astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have walked out the doors at crew quarters
at the Kennedy Space Center.
The astronauts are receiving well-wishes from their families and NASA managers outside the O&C Building before they get into a Tesla Model X for the ride to pad 39A.
05/30/2020 12:06Hurley and Behnken have taken their seats inside a Tesla Model X for the 20-minute drive to the launch pad.
05/30/2020 12:06The convoy has departed the O&C Building on time after Hurley and Behnken said goodbye to their families. In a scene reminiscent of Soyuz traditions at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, their families put their hands on the glass of the Tesla's windows before the astronauts headed for the pad.
05/30/2020 12:09TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEOSpaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Hurley and Behnken leave crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center for their second launch attempt. Follow events:
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126676190253481984005/30/2020 12:13TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEOSpaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Astronauts Hurley and Behnken walk to their Tesla electric vehicle for the drive to launch pad 39A. Follow the countdown:
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126676394047587123405/30/2020 12:13There are two Teslas in the convoy. The astronauts are riding in the second vehicle.
05/30/2020 12:13TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEOThere are two Teslas in the convoy. The astronauts are riding in the second vehicle.
Embeded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126676441521236377705/30/2020 12:20The convoy is now traveling up the ramp to pad 39A.
05/30/2020 12:25Hurley and Behnken have arrived at launch pad 39A, where they will have an opportunity for a bathroom break before taking an elevator up the tower.
05/30/2020 12:28The astronauts have taken an elevator to the 255-foot-level, then climbed a flight of stairs to the 265-foot-level where they will get a chance to call their families before prepping to board Dragon.
05/30/2020 12:32Hurley and Behnken have arrived in the white room after walking across SpaceX's crew access arm.
05/30/2020 12:34Behnken, 49, is a native of Missouri and veteran of two space shuttle missions to help assemble the space station in 2008 and 2010.
He is an Air Force colonel.
Hurley is a 53-year-old retired Marine Corps colonel born and raised in Upstate New York. He also flew on two space shuttle missions
in 2009 and 2011, when he was the pilot on the last flight of the shuttle program.
VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200530163421_076642.jpeg05/30/2020 12:37Both astronauts have boarded the Crew Dragon spacecraft, around 10 ahead of schedule. Hurley is strapping into the left-hand seat,
and Behnken is taking the right seat inside Dragon's pressurized cabin.
05/30/2020 12:45TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEOSpaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Watch a replay of astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken boarding the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of a Falcon 9 rocket
at launch pad 39A.
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126677259537191322305/30/2020 12:49Dragon commander Doug Hurley and pilot Bob Behnken are conducting voice checks with the Crew Operations Responsible Engineer at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and the Mission Director and members of the launch team at the Kennedy Space Center.
05/30/2020 12:58The Dragon seats have been rotated into position for launch, and the closeout crew has completed leak checks on both crew members' pressure suits.
Hurley reports the crew is ready for hatch closure when the ground team is ready.
05/30/2020 13:02TWITTER MESSAGE / VIDEO
Spaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
Hurley and Behnken's seats aboard Crew Dragon rotate to the launch position. Follow live coverage:
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126677647605934490505/30/2020 13:05Rain is now falling at the Kennedy Space Center, but so far this band of showers appears to be moving out to sea.
VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200530170537_948678.png05/30/2020 13:11Dragon's side hatch has been closed.
05/30/2020 13:12Up next will be a series of leak checks to ensure a good seal on the hatch.
VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200530171246_669831.png05/30/2020 13:19SpaceX ground control just told the Dragon crew they are monitoring some rain showers in the area around the Kennedy Space Center, but there's still a reasonable chance of proceeding with launch today.
The next decision point on whether to press on with the countdown will come at T-minus 45 minutes, just before SpaceX begins loading propellants into the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket.
All systems on the Falcon 9 launcher and the Crew Dragon spacecraft are reported OK for flight.
05/30/2020 13:26Two launch weather rules -- cumulus clouds and lightning -- are observed RED at this time.
05/30/2020 13:26SpaceX's ground team confirms the side hatch leak check was completed satisfactorily. The closeout crew will get ready to depart the pad shortly.
05/30/2020 13:46The SpaceX closeout crew has departed the crew access arm at pad 39A.
Mission control informs the Dragon astronauts that any emergency egress from this point forward in the countdown will be unassisted.
05/30/2020 13:52TWITTER MESSAGE & VIDEOSpaceflight Now
It’s still raining at pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, but SpaceX launch controllers are hopeful the weather could clear in time for today’s instantaneous launch opportunity at 3:22:45pm EDT (1922:45 GMT).
WATCH LIVE:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/27/falcon-9-crew-dragon-demo-2-mission-status-center/ …
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/126678777594633421105/30/2020 13:54T-minus 1 hour, 28 minutes. At the time of launch, the International Space Station will be flying over the Atlantic Ocean east of North Carolina. The launch time is set to align the Falcon 9's flight corridor with the space station's orbit.
05/30/2020 14:03SpaceX's chief engineer is preparing for a poll soon to assess the team's readiness to arm the Dragon's launch escape system and load propellants into the Falcon 9 rocket.
05/30/2020 14:10Weather remains observed RED at this time for the surface electric field mill and cumulus cloud rules.
05/30/2020 14:12T-minus 70 minutes. Here are some statistics on today's launch:
85th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
93rd launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
1st launch of Falcon 9 booster B1058
73rd Falcon launch from Cape Canaveral
116th launch from pad 39A
22nd SpaceX launch from pad 39A
2nd launch of a Crew Dragon spacecraft
1st Falcon 9/Crew Dragon flight with humans on-board
8th Falcon 9 launch of 2020
8th launch by SpaceX in 2020
10th orbital launch based out of Cape Canaveral in 2020
05/30/2020 14:17The surface electric field rule just toggled GREEN, leaving the cumulus cloud rule as the only weather constraint still observed RED at this time.
05/30/2020 14:23T-minus 60 minutes. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket will head northeast from the Kennedy Space Center, driven by 1.7 million pounds of thrust from nine Merlin 1D main engines.
Here's a timeline of the major events during the Falcon 9's climb to orbit, including the booster's maneuvers to return to Earth for landing on SpaceX's drone ship:
T+00:58: Max-Q (moment of peak aerodynamic pressure)
T+02:33: First stage main engine cutoff
T+02:36: Stage separation
T+02:44: Second stage engine ignition
T+07:15: First stage entry burn
T+08:47: Second stage engine cutoff
T+08:52: First stage landing burn
T+09:22: First stage landing
T+12:00: Crew Dragon separation from second stage
T+12:46: Crew Dragon nose cone opening
05/30/2020 14:26Dragon commander Doug Hurley reports the crew is "go" for launch.
05/30/2020 14:30A readiness poll by the SpaceX chief engineer's technical team reported no constraints with proceeding with arming of the Crew
Dragon's launch escape system and loading of propellant into the Falcon 9 rocket.
05/30/2020 14:35Coming up within the next few minutes, the SpaceX launch director will give approval to begin loading propellants into the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. The crew access arm will be retracted away from the spacecraft at 2:40 p.m. EDT (1840 GMT). The Crew Dragon's launch escape system will be armed at 2:44 p.m. EDT (1844 GMT).
Filling of the Falcon 9 with super-chilled, densified RP-1 kerosene fuel will begin at 2:47 p.m. EST (1847 GMT). Cryogenic liquid oxygen will flow into the first stage beginning at the same time.
Liquid oxygen loading into the second stage will begin 3:06 p.m. EDT (1906 GMT).
05/30/2020 14:35All weather parameters are currently GO for launch.
05/30/2020 14:39SpaceX’s launch director confirms all stations are GO to proceed with the countdown toward liftoff with astronauts Doug Hurley and
Bob Behnken at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT).
05/30/2020 14:39T-minus 43 minutes. The crew access arm has retracted away from the Crew Dragon spacecraft in preparation for fueling of the
Falcon 9 rocket.
05/30/2020 14:41Dragon commander Doug Hurley reports the astronauts have closed their spacesuit visors, and are arming the capsule's launch escape system.
05/30/2020 14:48T-minus 35 minutes. "Propellant load has started." RP-1 kerosene fuel is now flowing into both stages of the Falcon 9 rocket, and liquid oxygen is being pumped into the first stage.
05/30/2020 14:48TWITTER MESSAGE & VIDEOSpaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
The crew access arm has swung away from Crew Dragon prior to the start of propellant loading. Follow the countdown:
Embedded Videohttps://twitter.com/i/status/12668021678322892812:42 PM - May 30, 2020
05/30/2020 14:50SpaceX reports nominal flow rates for RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen.
05/30/2020 14:53Super-cold helium is being loaded into the rocket's pressurization system at this time.
05/30/2020 14:56SpaceX engineer and launch commentator John Insprucker reports weather conditions are “marginal but acceptable” for liftoff of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
VIEW IMAGEhttps://photo.24liveblog.com/2526184893728423044/20200530185602_260200.jpeg05/30/2020 15:02The second stage's RP-1 kerosene fuel tank is reported fully loaded for launch.
05/30/2020 15:03Chilldown of the strongback at pad 39A has started in preparation for loading liquid oxygen into the Falcon 9's upper stage.
05/30/2020 15:03T-minus 20 minutes. The countdown continues ticking toward liftoff at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT).
DUE TO THIS POST WAS EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED LENGTH OF CHARACTERS
PLEASE FOLLOW THE REST OF THE LAUNCH TIMELINE BELOW PLEASE CHECK BACK TO THIS THREAD OFTEN AS THE TIMELINE WILL
PROGRESS NEAR / DURING & AFTER THE LAUNCH
AND MORE INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED AND MODIFIED <---*(
VIEW THE FALCON 9 MANNED LAUNCH PLAYBACK VIDEO BROADCAST)*--->
*(
NASA T.V.)*
https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg *(
NASA CLEAN FEED)*
https://youtu.be/nA9UZF-SZoQ <---*(
SPACE X MISSION AUDIO)*--->
https://youtu.be/hxCzpa07dvg <---*(
THANK YOU ALL FOR VIEWING THIS TIMELINE THREAD--BE SAFE)*--->
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