A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-3 mission, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Hello, and welcome to live launch coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station! Here at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the crew, stand ready for launch. Liftoff is targeted for 9:03 p.m. EST from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.
The third crew rotation flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-3 will send NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science mission.
The countdown is proceeding according to schedule, and about 15 minutes from now, the crew will receive a weather briefing, followed by a countdown briefing from the launch director inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. After that, the Crew-3 astronauts will don their SpaceX spacesuits before exiting the building and heading out to the launch pad – this coming up in just about an hour.
Stay with us here on the blog as the countdown continues; we’ll keep you updated as we reach key milestones leading up to and through launch. Or, watch live now on NASA Television or the agency’s website.