NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.
Editor’s Note: This media advisory was updated on Aug. 20, 2023 to reflect the NASA administrator joining the crew arrival event on Aug. 20, a 5 p.m. EDT start time for the Aug. 21 media teleconference, and an updated title for Kristin Fabre in the Aug. 23 NASA Social Panel.
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.
The launch is targeted for 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 2:02 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26.
Crew arrival, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and mission coverage through docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio-only post-Flight Readiness Review news teleconference. Follow all live events at:
The Crew-7 launch will carry NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-7 marks the eighth human spaceflight mission supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the seventh crew rotation mission to the space station since 2020 for NASA.
The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission coverage is: (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations)
Sunday, Aug. 20
12:15 p.m. – Crew arrival media event at Kennedy on NASA TV
- Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
- Bob Cabana, associate administrator, NASA
- Janet Petro, director, NASA Kennedy
- Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
- Eric van der Wal, lead, International Space Station Program Houston Office, ESA
- Junichi Sakai, program manager, International Space Station, JAXA
- NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli
- ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen
- JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa
- Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov
The event is limited to in-person media only. Follow Commercial Crew and Kennedy Space Center for the latest arrival updates.
Monday, Aug. 21
5 p.m. (approximately) – Flight Readiness Review media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Flight Readiness Review) with the following participants:
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
- Frank De Winne, program manager, International Space Station, ESA
- Junichi Sakai, program manager, International Space Station, JAXA
- Amer AlSayegh AlGhaferi, assistant director general, Aerospace Engineering Sector, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, Aug. 23
9:30 a.m. – NASA Social Panel Live Stream event at Kennedy with the following participants:
- Tom Engler, Center Planning and Development Director, NASA Kennedy
- Samantha Testa, recovery director, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Kristin Fabre, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s Human Research Program
- Luca Parmitano, ESA astronaut
Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, Facebook, and X livestreams using #AskNASA.
11:30 a.m. – One-on-one media interviews at Kennedy with various mission subject matter experts. Sign-up information will be emailed to media accredited to attend this launch in-person.
Thursday, Aug. 24
11:45 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins
Friday, Aug. 25
3:49 a.m. – Launch
Following conclusion of launch and ascent coverage on NASA TV, coverage of the Crew-7 flight to the space station will continue audio only on mission audio circuits and on YouTube until 12:15 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, when coverage of rendezvous, docking, hatch opening, and welcoming remarks resumes on NASA TV.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/live.
5:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch News Conference on NASA TV
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
- Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president, JAXA
- Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA
Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Saturday, Aug. 26
12:15 a.m. – NASA TV arrival coverage begins
2:02 a.m. – Docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module
3:47 a.m. – Hatch opening
5 a.m. – Welcome ceremony
Audio Only Coverage
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 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.
Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service And Amateur Television System’s VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club’s UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-7 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA TV, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once live, the video is available on NASA Kennedy’s Newsroom YouTube.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, 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 Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the commercial crew or Crew-7 blog.
Attend the Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew7 and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram:@NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
X:@NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew
Coverage en Espanol
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-7.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425; antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, science, and commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch / Lora Bleacher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov
Steven Siceloff / Heather Scott
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / heather.l.scott@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov