NASA provider SpaceX is scheduled to launch its tenth Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station no earlier than Saturday, Feb. 18. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 8:30 a.m. EST.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeting liftoff on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at 10:01 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 50 and 51 crew members.
About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. SpaceX also is planning to attempt to land its Falcon 9 first stage on land.
After a two-day trip, Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the station’s robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives on station. The spacecraft will be berthed to the Earth-facing port on the Harmony module. By the next day, the crew will pressurize the vestibule between the station and Dragon, and then open the hatch that leads to the forward bulkhead of Dragon.
Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture Monday, Feb. 20, will begin at 7:30 a.m. on NASA TV, with installation set to begin at 11:30 a.m.
For about a month, crew members will unload the spacecraft and reload it with cargo to return to Earth. About five-and-a-half hours after it departs the station March 21, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Media at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will have the opportunity to participate in special tours and briefings Feb. 16 and 17, as well as view the launch. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed. For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.
If the launch does not occur Saturday, Feb. 18, the next launch opportunity is 9:38 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, with NASA TV coverage starting at 8 a.m.
PRESS ACCREDITATION OFFICE HOURS OF OPERATION
Media badges will be issued at the Astronaut Training Experience building located on State Road 405, Titusville. Badging hours of operation are:
Thursday, Feb. 16: 7:30 – 9 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 17: 6 – 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., and 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18: 7:30 – 9 a.m.
PRESS SITE HOURS OF OPERATION
The NASA Press Site at Kennedy will be open as follows:
Thursday, Feb. 16: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17: 6:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18: 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
“WHAT’S ON BOARD” SCIENCE BRIEFING ON NASA TV
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 day): A science, research and technology briefing will air live at 8:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website, at https://www.nasa.gov/ntv. This briefing is for NASA Social participants.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 day): A prelaunch status briefing will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium at 5 p.m. and air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Participants will be:
- Dan Hartman, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson Space Center
- Tara Ruttley, associate scientist, International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Jessica Jensen, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX
LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A BRIEFING
NASA and SpaceX will host a briefing, followed by a question-and-answer period, in front of SpaceX’s Launch Complex 39A. The event at 3 p.m. will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Participants will be:
- Robert Cabana, director, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
- Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO, SpaceX
POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Saturday, Feb. 18: A post-launch news conference will occur at about noon in Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium and air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Participants will be:
- George Diller, NASA Communications
- William Spetch, deputy manager, Transportation Office, ISS
- Jessica Jensen, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX
- Pam Underwood, manager, Operations Integration Division, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
NEWS MEDIA TOURS
News media will receive tours of various facilities and attend briefings about Kennedy’s transition from an exclusively government use facility, to a spaceport geared to support public and private missions.
SPACE FARMING
Thursday, Feb. 16 (L-2): Several NASA researchers will discuss their work to grow food for human deep-space exploration missions. They will discuss the Advanced Plant Habitat and second Veggie system that will be flown to the station on Orbital ATK’s cargo resupply mission next month, as well as other long-duration food production research currently underway. Buses depart the Press Site at 9:30 a.m.
LAUNCH PAD 39B
Thursday, Feb. 16 (L-2): Media will learn how the pad will be used for NASA’s Space Launch Systems rocket, as well as commercial partners. It operates as a clean pad that can support various types of rockets. This event will immediately follow the Space Farming briefing.
MULTI-USER SPACEPORT TOUR
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 Day): Kennedy Director Robert Cabana will take news media on a three-part tour of facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. Media will depart the Press Site by bus at 8 a.m. and will receive an update from NASA on transition of government facilities to the aerospace industry, and how that approach enables NASA and industry success. Media will then depart for the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will hear about the extensive work completed in the facility to prepare for the Space Launch System, and how that work enables members of the aerospace industry to use the facility between NASA missions. The last stop will be in Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, previously a shuttle processing facility, where the company is manufacturing its Starliner spacecraft for flight tests and ultimately crew rotation missions with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
REMOTE CAMERA SETUP
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 Day): A limited number of news media will be able to establish sound-activated remote cameras to capture the liftoff from inside Launch Complex 39A. A sign-up sheet will be available at the Press Site. All other remote camera photographers will be able to set up cameras outside of the pad perimeter. Buses depart the Press Site at 12:45 p.m. After all cameras are deployed, media will go directly to the Pad 39A briefing.
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE TANK OVERVIEW
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 Day): Media will visit the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank, where the project manager will give an overview of the TES program and how it is saving the center money. The NASA environmental office will explain how the savings will be applied to new sustainable projects at Kennedy. NASA partner Florida Power and Light also will discuss their program and partnership with the center.
PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY – LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A
Saturday, Feb. 18 (L-0 Day): News media interested in a photo opportunity of the Falcon 9 vertical at the launch pad will depart the press site at 12:15 a.m. for a photo opportunity at Launch Complex 39A. Media will return to the Press Site at 1 a.m.
LAUNCH VIEWING
Saturday, Feb. 18 (L-0 Day): News media wanting to view the launch from the NASA Causeway will depart the Press Site by bus at 8:30 a.m.
A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for media desiring to photograph the launch from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Space is limited for this activity, so media must sign up in person. At 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, media selected will depart the Press Site for the VAB.
NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Saturday, Feb. 18 (L-0 Day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
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 starting at 8:15 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-10 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 8:30 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast 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:
Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-10 mission by going to the mission home page at:
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy
RECORDED STATUS
Recorded status reports on the launch of SpaceX CRS-10 spacecraft and associated prelaunch activities will be provided on the Kennedy media phone line starting Thursday, Feb. 16. The telephone number is 321-867-2525.
WIRELESS CAPABILITY
Wireless capability for the news media is available at the Kennedy Press Site.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
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Stephanie Martin
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
stephanie.a.martin@nasa.gov