Updated at 8 p.m. ET: NASA and SpaceX are holding back from launch due to strong winds along the ascent path.
SpaceX is preparing to send a group of four people to the International Space Station for the second time this year. Its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft are waiting at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. However, they will have to wait another day, given that the weather along the ascent corridor did not allow for a late Saturday night launch.
The Crew-8 mission launch from historic Launch Complex 39A is scheduled for Sunday, March 3 at 10:53 PM ET (3:53 AM UTC Sunday). The launch was also postponed from March 1 due to bad weather in the offshore descent area, where the crew would be rescued if the mission were to be aborted during the ascent.
The 45th Weather Squadron is predicting a 75 percent chance of good weather Sunday, with clouds around the launch pad and high-level wind shear a concern.
Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage from the Kennedy Space Center press site approximately four hours before launch.
This mission will be the first for three of Crew-8's four members. Pilot Michael Barratt previously flew Soyuz and Space Shuttle Discovery to the ISS in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
“The idea of multiple vehicles is a very positive sign for human spaceflight in the first place,” Barratt said. “Various organizations: government agencies, private organizations, various government agencies. Human spaceflight is thriving, and that's a really good thing.”
Barratt said that while SpaceX Dragon certainly has its advantages as a new vehicle, there are things about his past vehicles that deserve praise.
“There are a lot of common elements. The physics transfer very well, but the functionality, redundancy, safety, creature comforts and human interface all differ between vehicles,” he said. “And, personally, I think it's a lot of fun to learn the differences between them.”
Mission Specialist Janet Epps also trained in three different vehicles. She was initially prepared to fly as a member of Expedition 56/57 in 2018, but was removed from the mission without explanation from NASA. She was then assigned to the first operational flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was followed by years of delays.
She said all of people's comments over the years don't matter to her now. Epps said she is excited to finally be able to travel to space for the first time since she was selected as an astronaut in 2009.
“You have to stay focused on what's important. The most important thing for me is to try to be an honest worker. In training, you have to be honest about the job at hand and focus on the things that don't matter. “Try not to focus on that,” Epps said. “What happened in the past is in the past and will remain there. There are so many good things happening right now that I don't want to bring it forward.”
At a pre-launch press conference, Epps said the most important memory he will take with him into space is a photo of his mother. In her one-on-one interview with Spaceflight Now, she highlighted her mother's influence on her own journey.
“She knew I had been selected to be an astronaut and her words to me were 'I'm really happy.' This is what you always wanted in life and I hope you do well.” I'm sure she'll be there.'' And then she passed away shortly after, and that moment was kind of powerful for me,'' Epps said. “But when I joined the Corps and came to Houston, I realized that I really wanted to make her mother proud of me, if that makes sense.”
Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick will also make his first spaceflight. A member of the 2017 astronaut class “Turtles,” his flights to the space station will help maintain the continued presence of this astronaut group. The concept was jokingly dubbed the “Turtle Takeover” when NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron launched as members of Crew 3 in 2021.
“We almost lost it. Luckily we had a small accident where the booster hit the bridge. Because Crew 5 is great and Crew 5 is a great group of people, but their only The downside was we didn’t have the Turtles,” Dominic said jokingly. “So the Crew-5 launch was moved and Frank was cleared.” [Rubio] This is to bridge the gap between Crew-4 and Crew-6, where the Turtles continue to exist in space. ”
Dominic came to the Astronaut Corps from the U.S. Navy and served as a test pilot. He logged more than 1,600 flight hours in his 28 aircraft.
“When you watch movies, you think it's about flying an airplane at its limits, but a lot of test piloting is planning and engineering and working with a great group of people to make it happen. And sometimes, it's about flying at the very limits of an airplane. We're going to do a test flight,” Dominic said.
Rounding out the crew is Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. A graduate of the Irkutsk Higher Military Aviation School, he studied engineering and aircraft radio repair. He also studied radio communications and broadcasting at the Moscow Polytechnic University of Communication and Information.
He began astronaut training in 2018 and was awarded the position of test astronaut in 2021.
“I would say that anyone doing anything in life needs to absorb as much as possible in what they're working on and be as multifaceted as possible,” Grebenkin said. translator. “Everything I learned was extremely beneficial to my career as an astronaut. I can say I was chosen because of what I have done so far.”
Grebenkin said training Crew Dragon was difficult. He said the travel time between Russia and the United States for training also made the training process feel longer.
“We've had to travel a lot, so not only are we learning new vehicles, but we're also meeting new training teams and getting used to new training approaches. So this is different,” he said. Ta.
SpaceX's new record
The launch of the Crew-8 mission will mark the fifth flight of the Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft. This is planned to be the flight leader for the Dragon spacecraft, either in crew or cargo version.
“We took a moment to discuss the work we've done to make sure that we're ready to fly that vehicle,” Steve Stitch, NASA's commercial crew program manager, said in a pre-launch conference call. I took extra time.” “There were a lot of special topics, especially around prop systems.”
Stich said SpaceX replaced a number of valves to address corrosion previously identified on previous flights. In addition, Bill Gerstenmeyer, SpaceX's vice president of construction and flight reliability, said he had had the opportunity to fly 49 people on numerous cargo missions prior to this mission, giving them a lot of experience. He said he learned.
Once Crew-8 launches, SpaceX will send a total of 53 people into orbit on 13 Dragon flights.
“We have had the opportunity to experiment and see the hardware on other flights, so it has very nice capabilities. The advantage is that we can fly as often as possible and fly a variety of missions,” Gerstenmayer said. “It's really cool to try some things out on a cargo vehicle and see how it works and see if you're getting the right performance that your crew needs for their mission.”
Currently, the Dragon vehicle is certified for up to five flights, but NASA and SpaceX are working on expanding that to 15 missions.
“We may not be able to get there with every system. We're starting to do that and we're in the process of doing that. We're in the process of looking at all these components. '' Stich said. “Some have actually been approved for 15 flights, others are still in development, and some of those components will undergo recertification to ensure they are capable of 15 flights. There was a need.”
A new Crew Dragon spacecraft is also currently in production in Hawthorne, California. Stich said the Crew-10 mission will likely be ready for flight in early 2025. Gerstenmayer added that SpaceX expects to have the aircraft ready for service by fall 2024.
“So whenever NASA wants to use that vehicle, it will be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year,” he said.
The mission's first stage booster, tail number B1083, will be launched for the first time on this mission. It is scheduled to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) approximately seven and a half minutes after liftoff.
Those living in the Central Florida area may hear a sonic boom as the booster lands.
