SpaceX is preparing to launch NASA’s Commercial Crew Program’s sixth operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS), known as Crew-6. On Sunday, February 19, SpaceX shared a photograph of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft arriving at the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) in Florida ahead of launching the quartet over the weekend. The agency plans to launch the Crew-6 mission on Sunday, February 26 at 2:07 a.m. ET (you can watch the broadcast in the video linked below). 02/21/2023 UPDATE: Crew-6 Liftoff is now scheduled for Monday, February 27 at 1:45 a.m. ET with live coverage beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. Crew-6 crewmembers are: NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will launch on American spacecraft as part of a diplomatic barter agreement with Russia to continue cooperation at the orbiting laboratory.
Crew-6 Dragon arrives at LC-39A ahead of flight pic.twitter.com/QhAKqPFl6t
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 19, 2023
Crew-6 is scheduled to dock at the Space Station by Monday, February 27. Endeavour will dock autonomously to the ISS space-facing port of the Harmony module at 2:54 a.m. ET. UPDATE: Docking now scheduled for Tuesday, February 28. Even though the spacecraft mostly operates autonomously, astronauts do have to interact with it to ensure all their voyage is going well and must be ready to take manual control of it in the unlikely event of an emergency. The Crew-6 Mission Commander is NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, who has three Space Shuttle space flights under his belt. The Crew-6 Dragon Pilot is NASA Astronaut Warren Hoburg, who has received extensive training for his first-ever space voyage to service as a flight engineer at the ISS. On February 6, the agency shared that Hoburg and his crewmates went on a final “Dragon test drive” to be ready for liftoff. “They completed a crew equipment integration test in preparation for the Crew6 launch from Kennedy Space Center to the Space Station,” said NASA representatives. They use a replica simulator of Crew Dragon for their training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will serve as mission specialists; it is both men’s first trip to space.
Dragon test drive complete https://t.co/IHLuMe6zLF
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 6, 2023
SpaceX is a leader in aerospace innovation. Crew Dragon Endeavour previously launched NASA’s Crew-1, SpaceX’s all-civilian Inspiration4 mission, and Axiom Mission-1 astronauts. Reusing spacecraft and rockets enables SpaceX to perform frequent cost-effective missions. Crew-6 is tasked with conducting more than 200 science experiments at the Space Station Lab during their six-month stay. NASA TV will Livestream their voyage to the Space Station and pre-flight conferences in the video linked below. NASA TV schedule is in Eastern Time.
NASA TV Schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - Pre-launch Event
12:30 p.m. (approximately) – Crew arrival media event at Kennedy on NASA Television.
- Kelvin Manning, deputy director, Kennedy
- Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
- NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen
- NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg
- UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi
- Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev
6 p.m. (approximately) – Flight Readiness Review media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the review) with the following participants:
- Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
- Jared Metter, director, Flight Reliability, SpaceX
- Adnan AlRais, mission manager UAE Astronaut Mission 2, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Friday, Feb. 24
10:30 p.m. (approximately) – Pre-launch News Teleconference at Kennedy
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
- Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
- Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
- Mike McAleenan, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron
Monday, Feb. 27
10:00 p.m. – Launch
Following conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA coverage of agency’s Crew-6 flight to the space station will continue with audio only, with full coverage resuming at the start of the arrival broadcast.
4 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV
- Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
- Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Tuesday, Feb. 28
1 a.m. – NASA TV arrival coverage begins
2:54 a.m. – Docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module
4:35 a.m. – Hatch opening
5:20 a.m. – Welcome ceremony
Schedule courtesy of NASA.
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Featured Image Source: SpaceX
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
