This artist concept depicts SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 lifting off from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Image Credit: SpaceX

NASA and commercial crew provider SpaceX are targeting 2:48 a.m. EST Saturday, March 2, for the launch of the Demo-1 uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station. The uncrewed test flights will be the first time a commercially-built and operated American rocket and spacecraft designed for humans will launch to the space station.

Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Friday, Feb. 22 with prelaunch events.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 10 minutes after launch, Crew Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit. It is scheduled to dock to station Sunday, March 3 at 5:55 a.m. EST. The Crew Dragon spacecraft will carry about 400 pounds of crew supplies and equipment to the space station and return some critical research samples to Earth. 

The spacecraft will spend about five days attached to the space station. Dragon will remain at the space station until March 8 when the spacecraft will return to Earth. About five hours after Dragon leaves the station, it will conduct its deorbit burn, which lasts up to 10 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes for Dragon to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but more information about media accreditation is available by contacting ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Full mission coverage is as follows. All times are EST:

Friday, Feb. 22

Press Site Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

News Media Schedule
Post-Flight Readiness Review/Demo-1 Mission Overview Briefing
Time: Approximately 6 p.m. or one hour after the review
Location: KSC Press Site TV Auditorium
Participants:

• William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, NASA Human Exploration and Operations
• Kathy Lueders, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
• Kirk Shireman, Manager, International Space Station Program
• Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
• Astronaut Office Representative

Note: Media with annual badges to Kennedy Space Center will be able to attend this briefing in person. A phone bridge is available to all other media. Please call the KSC Press Site on the day of the briefing for the bridge information.

Thursday, Feb. 28

Press Site Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Badging Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Foreign National Pickup Time: 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

News Media Schedule

Prelaunch Briefing on NASA TV
Time: TBD
Location: Press Site TV Auditorium
Participants:

• Kathy Lueders, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
• Kirk Shireman, Manager, International Space Station Program
• SpaceX Representative
• Astronaut Office Representative

Friday, March 1

Press Site Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Badging Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.
Foreign National Pickup Times: 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

News Media Schedule

Media Availabilities
Time: 9 a.m. – noon
Location: Press Site TV Auditorium
Subject Matter Experts from:

• Commercial Crew Program
• International Space Station Program
• Kennedy Space Center
• Johnson Space Center

Remote Camera Setup
Time: TBD

Saturday, March 2

Press Site Hours of Operation: 12 a.m. – 7 a.m.
Badging Hours of Operation: 11:30 p.m. Friday – 2 a.m.
Foreign National Pickup Times: midnight

News Media Schedule

Live Launch Coverage
Time: 2 a.m.

Post Launch News Conference on NASA TV
Time: 5 a.m.
Location: Press Site TV Auditorium

• Participants: Steve Stich, NASA launch manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
• Kirk Shireman, manager, International Space Station Program
• SpaceX representative
• Astronaut Office representative

Sunday, March 3

NASA TV Coverage
Rendezvous and Docking Coverage
Time: 3:30 a.m.

Hatch Opening Coverage
Time: 8:45 a.m.

Station Crew Welcoming Ceremony
Time: 10:30 a.m.

Friday, March 8

NASA TV Coverage
Hatch Closing Coverage Begins
Time: 12:15 a.m.

Undocking Coverage Begins
Time: 2:30 a.m.

Deorbit and Landing Coverage
Time: 7:30 a.m.
 

Post Landing Briefing on NASA TV
Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Participants:

• Steve Stich, NASA launch manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
• International Space Station Program Representative
• SpaceX Representative
• Astronaut Office Representative

Launch Viewing

Media may view the Demo-1 launch from the Kennedy Press Site, or the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) roof (space is limited). Media scheduled to view the launch from the VAB roof should meet at the Kennedy Press Site at 1:15 a.m. to be escorted. Media must RSVP for the VAB roof by Wednesday, 2/27, at 4:30 pm EDT to ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Only one representative per organization may sign up for the VAB roof.

NASA TV Launch Coverage

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 2 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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," the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA Web Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of the SpaceX Demo-1 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 2 a.m. 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 newsroom at 321-867-2468. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Postlaunch News Conference on NASA TV

A postlaunch news conference will occur at about 5 a.m. in Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium and air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. Media who would like to call in should phone the NASA News Center at 321-867-2468.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s testbed for exploration.

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

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Press Contacts

Stephanie Martin
Kennedy Space Center, FL
321-867-2468

Marie Lewis
Kennedy Space Center, FL
321-867-2468

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