Here’s a step-by-step explainer of what will happen during SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon mission with astronauts, from prelaunch preparations to splashdown.
On May 30, SpaceX will launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in the first-ever crewed test flight of its Crew Dragon astronaut taxi.
The mission, called Demo-2, will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s historic Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on board. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT), and the Crew Dragon is expected to arrive at the International Space Station about 19 hours later.
Here’s a step-by-step explainer of what will happen during the Demo-2 mission, from prelaunch preparations through the astronauts’ return to Earth.
In photos: SpaceX’s Demo-2 Crew Dragon test flight with astronauts
Astronauts arrive in style
Donning their SpaceX spacesuits, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley (left) and Bob Behnken wave after walking out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan.17,2020, during a dress rehearsal ahead of the SpaceX uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test. (Image credit: Kim Shiflett/NASA)
While NASA astronauts heading to their rockets on the day of a launch have traditionally traveled to their launchpads in a retro-style « Astrovan, » Demo-2 astronauts Doug Hurley (left) and Bob Behnken will be rolling up to their Falcon 9 rocket in shiny Tesla Model X sports cars. This comes as no surprise to SpaceX fans; Elon Musk, the founder of both SpaceX and Tesla, famously launched a cherry-red Tesla Roadster into space on a Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018.
But before Behnken and Hurley hop inside their fancy car, the astronauts will start their day by scarfing down a hefty breakfast at their crew quarters, which is a 9-mile (14 kilometers) drive from the launch pad. Breakfast is scheduled for T-minus 5 hours, and once the astronauts have stuffed their faces, they’ll have to squeeze into their spacesuits. They are expected to arrive at the launch pad about three hours before liftoff.
Related: Astrovan II: Airstream builds new ride for Boeing Starliner crews
Astronauts board via the crew access arm
SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon spacecraft for the uncrewed Demo-1 mission is seen atop its Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida in February 2019. (Image credit: SpaceX)
At T-minus 2 hours and 15 minutes, Behnken and Hurley will enter the Crew Dragon spacecraft. To board it, the astronauts will use a brand-new crew access arm, a hallway-like bridge that SpaceX added to NASA’s historic Pad 39A during renovations for commercial crew launches. Ground crews will make sure the astronauts are safely buckled up inside the spacecraft before closing the hatch at T-minus 1 hour and 50 minutes.
The walkway connects the Fixed Service Structure (FSS) of Pad 39A to the tip of the Falcon 9 rocket, where the astronauts will board the Crew Dragon. Because Falcon 9 rockets are taller than the space shuttles that used to launch from Pad 39A, the new access arm is about 70 feet (21 meters) higher than the orbiter access arm that was previously attached to the FSS for 30 years.
Video: SpaceX shows off Crew Dragon access arm for astronauts Liftoff!
This still from SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission animation shows the Falcon 9 rocket lifting off with the Crew Dragon spacecraft. (Image credit: SpaceX)
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying Behnken and Hurley to orbit is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday (May 30) at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT).
Four hours and 30 minutes before liftoff, the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron will determine the possibility of having good launch weather, and they will announce an updated launch forecast.
