NASA Space Station Blog

NASA and Boeing ‘Go’ for Crew Flight Test Mission

Officials from NASA, Boeing, ULA (United Launch Alliance) , and the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron participate in a prelaunch briefing for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, May 3, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) officials discussed final prelaunch details to send two astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as the first crewed flight for Starliner. The prelaunch news conference finished at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“We are going to have a whole new adventure. This is very much a part of our exploration of space and what I call the ‘golden age of space exploration,’” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “It’s a historical day. It’s a wonderful day.”

Officials provided updates to the countdown of the 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, launch of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, on the Starliner spacecraft as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. The crew is set to dock at the space station on Wednesday, May 8, for about a week-long stay before returning to Earth with a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

“It’s exciting to bring Starliner and a United launch Alliance Atlas vehicle online,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We have been striving for commercial crew to have two independent space transportation systems. That’s been our goal from commercial crew since its inception, and we’re very close to reaching that goal with the launch on Monday.”

Brian Cizek, launch weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron, predicts a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concern.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team. We’re at peak performance right now and we are really excited to execute this launch. We’re ready to go,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing.

At 3:30 p.m., NASA will host a social media briefing with the following participants:

NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Ian Kappes, deputy launch vehicle office manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Amy Comeau Denker, Starliner associate chief engineer, Boeing
Caleb Weiss, system engineering and test leader, ULA
Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program

NASA will provide coverage of the social media briefing on Kennedy’s Facebook, X, and YouTube accounts.

On Saturday, May 4, the ULA Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft will roll out to the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. Monday, May 6.

Here is a list of other upcoming events leading up to the mission.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Crew Works Payloads and Training, Awaits Starliner Arrival

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps, both NASA astronauts, are pictured aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. — Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps, both NASA astronauts, are pictured aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module.

Payload maintenance and training topped Friday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 71 septet gears up to welcome two new crew members next week.

On Thursday, May 2, four crew members entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and relocated it to a different port to make room for the upcoming arrival of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Dragon undocked from the Harmony module’s forward-facing port at 8:57 a.m. EDT and autonomously redocked to the module’s space-facing port at 9:46 a.m.

This move made Harmony’s forward port available for the arrival of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft next week. Starliner is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:34 p.m. Monday, May 6, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the station. The duo will enter Earth’s orbit and monitor the performance of spacecraft before docking to the orbital complex around 12:46 a.m. Wednesday, May 8.

Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week in low Earth orbit with the Expedition 71 crew to test Starliner and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA will broadcast the historic flight on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Aboard station, the septet split up maintenance duties on Friday. Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson of NASA began her day inspecting and photographing spacesuit power and data cables in preparation for upcoming spacewalks in June. Dyson then spent most of the day working with the Microgravity Science Glovebox, rotating the payload to clean its fans and screen, then activating it to support upcoming science investigations.

Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick of NASA removed and replaced the hydrogen sensor in the station’s oxygen generation system. He was later joined by his NASA crewmate, Mike Barratt, to test the health of the ventilation system in the U.S. segment and measured the airflow coming in and out of the vents.

The duo then joined NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps and Roscsosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin for a round of medical emergency training. The quartet reviewed procedures and hardware in the event a medical emergency requiring CPR were to occur on station.

After training, Epps removed and replaced the air filter in the wastewater processing system, then charged the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue, or SAFER, batteries. Attached to the spacesuits astronauts don during spacewalks, SAFER allows a crew member to safely return to the station if they were to become untethered.

In the Zarya module, station Commander Oleg Kononenko removed and replaced ceiling panels. His Roscosmos crewmate, Nikolai Chub, practiced his piloting techniques during a Pilot-T session and later investigated the behavior of various liquid phases exposed to different temperatures and vibrations in the microgravity environment.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

NASA to Hold Prelaunch News Conference Following ULA Launch Readiness Review

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Plans to send two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket early next week remain on track.

ULA completed its Launch Readiness Review on May 3 and gave a “go” to proceed toward launch at 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Teams at ULA assessed the readiness of the rocket, discussed the pre-flight work, reviewed launch day operations, and previewed the early weather forecast.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test will launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on Starliner for about a week-long mission to the International Space Station, culminating with a parachute landing in the southwestern United States.

At 12:30 p.m., NASA will host its prelaunch news conference with the following participants:

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

The prelaunch news conference air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Here is a list of other upcoming events leading up to the mission.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Dragon Moves to New Port, Makes Way for Starliner

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is pictured after backing away from the space station beginning its relocation maneuver. Credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, with Expedition 71 crew members NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, autonomously redocked with the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 9:46 a.m. EDT over the eastern Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia.

As the 28th spacecraft relocation in station history, the move makes room for the arrival at 12:48 a.m., Wednesday, May 8, of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test and the Starliner spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Crew Undocks in Dragon Spacecraft for Port Relocation

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is pictured moments away from undocking from the Harmony module's forward port on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV — The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is pictured moments away from undocking from the Harmony module’s forward port on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, with Expedition 71 crew members NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, undocked from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 8:57 a.m. EDT, to autonomously redock with the module’s space-facing port.

Redocking is planned at 9:38 a.m. NASA will continue coverage will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

As the 28th spacecraft relocation in station history, the move makes room for the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon carrying cargo to station as part of the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for NASA, targeted to launch in August.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Dragon Undocking Moves to 8:55 A.M. EDT Today

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, with the Crew-8 quartet aboard, is pictured approaching the International Space Station on March 5, 2024.

NASA’s live coverage continues as four crew members aboard the International Space Station take a short trip inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to relocate from one docking port to another.

Following an initial, unexpected slow decrease in cabin pressure, delaying undocking, SpaceX determined that the cabin pressure trend is understood and nominal. Undocking is now scheduled for 8:55 a.m. EDT with redocking planned at 9:38 a.m. Relocation activities will continue to air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Expedition 71 crew members NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, will undock from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, and autonomously redock with the module’s space-facing port.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Dragon Spacecraft Relocating to New Port on NASA TV

NASA’s live coverage is underway as four crew members aboard the International Space Station take a short trip inside their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to relocate from one docking port to another.

Relocation activities will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

‘We are Ready,’ NASA, Boeing Crew Counts Down to Historical Launch

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams participate in a virtual media engagement event from inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.. — NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams participate in a virtual media engagement event from inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams held a virtual question and answer session with media on May 1, from inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of their launch to the space station.

“We’ve been through training and we have our fingerprints on every single procedure that exists for this spacecraft,” said Wilmore. “We’re fully trained in all aspects of Starliner.”

Wilmore and Williams have quarantined inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building since they arrived at the Florida spaceport April 25.

The Operations and Checkout Building dates back to the Apollo program and was used for missions under the Space Shuttle Program. Located on the third floor, the crew quarters consists of 23 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The area also includes the suitup room, where teams help astronauts into their spacesuits before they exit the building and enter a vehicle to take them to the launch pad.

Wilmore and Williams will be the first to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

“We feel very safe and very comfortable when this spacecraft flies,” said Williams. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56m) and the capability to steer automatically or manually, will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.

Launch is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Watch a replay of the question and answer session here.

Crew Readies for Dragon Relocation, Works Robotics and Connects with Students on Earth

The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick. — The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station on March 5, 2024. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.

Mission preparations are underway aboard the International Space Station as a spacecraft relocation on Thursday will make room for a crew arrival next week. The Expedition 71 crew spent Wednesday reviewing mission procedures, conducting robotics activities, and connecting with students on Earth.

Four crew members will suit up Thursday, May 2 and enter the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to relocate it to a new port as the countdown to NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test continues. NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps, as well as cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos, will undock from the forward port of the Harmony module at 7:45 a.m. EDT and take a short ride aboard Dragon before redocking to the zenith port of Harmony around 8:28 a.m.

The quartet spent Wednesday morning reviewing procedures for Dragon’s relocation and was later joined by NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson—who will be monitoring the maneuver—to hold a conference with ground teams. In preparation for the move, Epps also cleaned and inspected the health of Dragon’s capture and docking system, then later reorganized supplies within the spacecraft.

After tomorrow’s relocation, Harmony’s forward port will be available, making room for the arrival of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft next week. Starliner, scheduled to launch at 10:34 p.m. Monday, May 6, will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the orbiting laboratory, with docking scheduled for around 12:46 a.m. Wednesday, May 8. The duo will spend about a week aboard station to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbital complex as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

As the crew arrival nears, Dyson, Dominick, and Barratt held a conference with ground teams in the afternoon to go over Starliner procedures, including rendezvous, docking, and departure.

The orbital septet also scheduled in some time for robotics, space-to-ground operations, and maintenance on Wednesday. Dyson powered on Astrobee, the station’s free-flying robots, and performed a Zero Robotics tech demonstration, which allows students on Earth to write software to control the robots.

Dominick connected with students in North Carolina through an ISS Ham Radio session, answering questions about living and working in space. Meanwhile, Epps recalibrated ethernet cable connections in the crew quarters and Barratt conducted some routine orbital plumbing.

In the Roscosmos segment, station Commander Oleg Kononenko ran an experiment that studies the glow of Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet, while Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub investigated the behavior of various liquid phases exposed to different temperatures and vibrations in the microgravity environment.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

On-Orbit Training and Health Research Occupy Schedule on Tuesday

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Mike Barratt tests portable breathing gear aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. — Expedition 71 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Mike Barratt tests portable breathing gear aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module.

A suite of on-orbit training topped Tuesday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 71 crew gets ready for a spacecraft relocation on Thursday and a crew arrival next week. Four crew members also spent some time conducting ongoing health research to help scientists on Earth better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body.

In the morning, NASA Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Jeanette Epps assisted one another with ultrasound scans of veins in their necks, shoulders, clavicles, and back of the knees. The duo was then joined by their other Crew-8 crewmates, Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos, to review procedures and complete training for the upcoming relocation of their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

The quartet will suit up Thursday, May 2 and enter Dragon for an undocking from the forward port of the Harmony module at 7:45 a.m. EDT. They will then take a short ride aboard Dragon before redocking to the zenith port of Harmony around 8:28 a.m.

This relocation will make room for the Starliner spacecraft as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, scheduled to launch Monday, May 6 at 10:34 p.m. Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the station for a docking around 12:48 a.m. Wednesday, May 8. The duo will join the Expedition 71 crew in low Earth orbit for about a week before returning home.

After lunch, the Crew-8 cadre was joined by astronaut Tracy C. Dyson of NASA, space station Commander Oleg Kononenko, and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos to complete a fire training session in the event an emergency were to occur aboard station. The septet then spent some time discussing the training and holding a conference with ground teams.

In the evening, Dominick set up tomography hardware and assisted Dyson with an eye exam. Dyson then shut down and stowed the hardware, wrapping up a round of health exams for the week.

On Earth, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, which spent about a month docked to the orbiting laboratory, splashed down off the coast of Florida at 1:38 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, returning more than 4,100 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments back to researchers.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe