NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launch Day Milestones

Image of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Space Launch Complex-40 ahead of launch to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch operations are underway to send a NASA astronaut and Roscosmos cosmonaut to the International Space Station. Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. 

Time                Event  (All times subject to change)
9:17 a.m.      Suit donning and checkouts
9:57 a.m.     Crew walkout from Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
10:02 a.m.   Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
10:20 a.m.   Crew arrives at pad and ascends tower
10:42 a.m.   Crew ingress
10:48 a.m.   Seat rotation
10:49 a.m.   Suit leak checks
10:58 a.m.   Communication check
11:22 a.m.    Hatch close
12:42 p.m.  SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
12:35 p.m.   Crew access arm retracts
12:39 p.m.   Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
12:42 p.m.   RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
12:42 p.m.  1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
1:01 p.m.     2nd stage LOX loading begins
1:10 p.m.     Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
1:15 p.m.     Dragon transitions to internal power
1:16 p.m.     Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
1:16 p.m.     Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
1:16 p.m.     SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
1:17 p.m.     Falcon 9 liftoff
1:18 p.m.    Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
1:19 p.m.    1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
1:19 p.m.    1st and 2nd stages separate
1:19 p.m.    2nd stage engine starts
1:20 p.m.    Boostback Burn Starts
1:21 p.m.     Boostback Burn Ends
1:23 p.m.    1st stage entry burn starts
1:24 p.m.    1st stage entry burn ends
1:24 p.m.    1st stage landing burn starts
1:25 p.m.    1st stage landing
1:26 p.m.    2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
1:29 p.m.    Dragon separates from 2nd stage
1:30 p.m.    Dragon nosecone open sequence begins 

NASA’s live coverage of the Crew-9 mission continues on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Also check back for updates on the mission blog, @commercial_crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook. 

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