Latest news with #Crew-3
The Hill
09-08-2025
- Science
- The Hill
SpaceX astronauts splashdown safely off Southern California coast
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — After more than four months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), four astronauts safely returned to Earth on Saturday morning with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego, wrapping up NASA and SpaceX's Crew-10 mission. According to SpaceX, the Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS at 6 05 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 8, and completed a series of precise 'orbit-lowering maneuvers' before re-entering Earth's atmosphere. The capsule made a successful splashdown at 11:33 a.m. EDT on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 17 hours since the crew's departure. Aboard the spacecraft were NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. All four crewmembers are reported to be in good health following recovery operations. The mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, marked a 145-day stay in orbit. The Dragon capsule autonomously docked with the ISS just over a day after launch and supported a wide range of scientific research during its time in space. While in orbit, Crew-10 contributed to experiments aimed at advancing future human space exploration and improving life on Earth, including studies on microgravity's effects on human health and new technologies for long-duration missions, SpaceX officials explained. This Dragon spacecraft has now completed multiple missions, having previously flown NASA's Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions. The Falcon 9 rocket used in this mission also marked its second flight, previously launching the SES 03b mPOWER satellite. NASA and SpaceX streamed the re-entry and splashdown live via webcast and on the new X TV app, giving space enthusiasts a front-row seat to the exciting conclusion of the mission. The safe return off California's southern coast marks another milestone in the ongoing partnership between NASA and SpaceX as they continue to advance crewed spaceflight capabilities.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket seconds after midnight Monday; booster lands for record 27th time
Seconds after the stroke of midnight, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off early Monday morning on a noteworthy endurance-test mission: The first-stage booster logged an unprecedented 27th launch and landing. The Falcon 9 illuminated darkened Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12 a.m. EDT, then ascended to the southeast and deployed 27 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit. SpaceX's much-traveled booster previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, O3B mPOWER-A, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2, Galileo L13, Koreasat-6A and 15 Starlink missions. After descending, the booster wrapped up Monday's Starlink 6-73 mission by touching down aboard SpaceX's drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean a bit more than eight minutes after liftoff. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral In a 12:09 a.m. tweet, SpaceX officials noted the booster had just completed "the first 27th launch and landing of an orbital class rocket." SpaceX's late-night Falcon 9 liftoff marked the 30th orbital rocket launch of the year thus far from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center. If that pace holds, the speedy cadence would surpass the newly established record of 93 annual launches last year. Looking ahead, NASA and SpaceX will team up a week from Monday to launch a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 on the company's 32nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The rocket may launch as early as 4:15 a.m. April 21 from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. "Along with food and essential equipment for the crew, Dragon is delivering a variety of experiments, including a demonstration of refined maneuvers for free-floating robots," a NASA press release said. "Dragon also carries an enhanced air quality monitoring system that could protect crew members on exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and two atomic clocks to examine fundamental physics concepts, such as relativity, and test worldwide synchronization of precision timepieces," the press release said. For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Starlink mission Monday marks rocket booster's record 27th landing
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA, SpaceX Crew-10 launch prompts sonic boom advisory in Central Florida
People in Central Florida could hear a mysterious 'boom' Wednesday night. NASA and SpaceX crews are preparing to send the next crewed mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew-10 launch is planned for Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The launch window will open at 7:48 p.m., with another opportunity at 7:26 p.m. on Thursday. The Crew Dragon spacecraft used for this launch has previously flowed NASA astronauts to the ISS for the Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions. After the launch, SpaceX will attempt to launch the first state booster back on the ground at its landing site at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX said residents in Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Volusia, Polk, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties could hear one or more sonic booms during the landing. After reaching the space station, Crew-10 will be greeted by the other astronauts aboard the ISS. Channel 9 will continue to monitor the planned launch and provide updates on Eyewitness News. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA and SpaceX set for Crew-10 launch this week from Florida's Space Coast
NASA and SpaceX crews are preparing to send the next crewed mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew-10 launch is planned for Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The launch window will open at 7:48 p.m., with another opportunity at 7:26 p.m. on Thursday. The Crew Dragon spacecraft that will be used for this launch has previously flown NASA astronauts to the ISS for the Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions. After the launch, SpaceX will attempt to launch the first state booster of the rock pack on the ground at its landing site at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After reaching the space station, Crew-10 will be greeted by the other astronauts aboard the ISS. Channel 9 will continue to monitor the planned launch and provide updates on Eyewitness News. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA, SpaceX say Crew-10 launch on track for Wednesday despite "late breaking issues"
Mar. 8—Spokesman-Review reporter Nick Gibson is in Florida this week to report on Anne McClain's and NASA's SpaceX launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Follow along in print and online at CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The rocket launch taking Spokane astronaut Anne McClain and her fellow crew members to the International Space Station is moving forward as scheduled, pending the resolution of some technical issues, officials say. NASA and SpaceX officials convened Friday for a pre-launch debriefing to share some insight into the planning and preparation for the mission, while also touching on some "late breaking issues," as Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for the space operations mission directorate, put it. The two entities are working together to quickly address those issues, Bowersox said, before tipping his cap to the SpaceX team. It's been challenging but a growing experience for the space agency to keep up with their partners, he said. "They've been very flexible with us over the last couple years, coming up with new ways to handle almost anything that comes our way on the International Space Station," Bowersox said. McClain and her crewmates are expected to take off Wednesday at 4:48 p.m. PT, from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center. The mission is the 10th crew exchange with SpaceX through the space agency's commercial crew program, in which the space agency partners with corporations in order to make the staffing of the space lab safer and more reliable and cost efficient, the agency states. The mission will be the 10th crew to use SpaceX to get to the ISS. NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and Takuya Onishi, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will join McClain on the mission. The space explorers will be riding in the SpaceX Dragon capsule "Endurance" previously used by Crew-3, Crew-5 and Crew-7. The capsule will be affixed to and propelled by a SpaceX Falcon 9, a semi-reusable two-stage rocket designed to lift off from the launching pad and return to earth to be reused. The Falcon is expected to return around 3 a.m. PT. Bowersox said the partnership with SpaceX has changed how the space agency views what may be a safe vehicle to transport their astronauts. Just 10 years ago, NASA was still of the perspective that each rig should be built from scratch. "We've all gotten to the point where we'll say, 'Oh, brand new vehicle? I'm a little bit nervous,'" Bowersox said. "Were they able to do everything right in production? How about giving us one of those flight-proven vehicles?" Steve Stitch, manager of the commercial crew program, said there were two issues discussed during Friday's flight readiness review. The coating on one of the thrusters for the latter stage of propulsion has degraded over repeated use, and both the agency and SpaceX are hoping to have a better understanding of an engine fire that broke out within a Falcon 9 rocket that launched 21 Starlink satellites in early March. The mission's team were polled on whether to stick with Wednesday's launch , and they unanimously decided to do so, he added. Stitch said every preparation for launch "is a bit like this, where we have a couple late-breaking issues that we got to work through," Stitch said. Stitch said the thruster coating protects them from becoming oxidized by the intense heat generated when they're fired. NASA and SpaceX are "hot firing" a replacement, in which the thruster is stress tested by being put through four normal mission cycles, "plus a couple extra contingency cycles," Stitch said. The engine fire appears to have been caused by a fuel leak that started 85 seconds into the Falcon 9's ascent, said Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability for SpaceX. Rocket grade kerosene hit the hot engine, but didn't ignite until 45 seconds after it returned to the landing pad, when enough oxygen was able to enter into the engine chamber, react with the kerosene and spark a fire. While the fire was contained to one engine barrel, as it was designed to do, Gerstenmaier said a landing leg was damaged by the blaze. The rocket tipped over, leading to a complete loss. 'While it's disappointing to lose a rocket after a successful mission, the team will use this data to make sure that every Falcon is more reliable on ascent and landing for this mission and for every other mission going forward," Gerstenmaier said. "Ultimately, we'll be safer because of what occurred on this flight." That incident came before the failure of a SpaceX Starship launch from their Texas base last Thursday. That craft, which company founder Elon Musk says will transport people to Mars one day, broke up and rained debris off the coast of Florida after the upper stage malfunctioned. It's much larger than the tech used for ISS transport and still in the testing phase. If the Crew-10 launch is delayed, Stitch said the agency has identified two alternatives: Thursday at 4:25 p.m. and Friday at 4:04 p.m. PT. "We're not going to launch before we're ready," Bowersox said. "We're always analyzing the data and making sure that the rocket is ready to go before we let the SpaceX team hit the button with our crew on board."
