NASA and SpaceX officials will host a trio of news briefings Friday beginning at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) to discuss preparations for the first launch of astronauts from the Kennedy Space Center since 2011.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is scheduled for launch to the International Space Station on May 27.
Space agency and company leaders will participate in the first of the three news conferences, followed a briefing by mission managers and flight directors. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will then speak with reporters in the final briefing of the day at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Reporters will take part in the press conferences remotely because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s a schedule for the briefings Friday (all times Eastern):
11 a.m. – Commercial Crew and International Space Station overview news conference with the following participants:
- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
- Kathy Lueders, program manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
- Kirk Shireman, program manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
- Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, SpaceX
12:30 p.m. – Mission Overview news conference with the following participants:
- Steve Stich, deputy manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
- Zeb Scoville, NASA Demo-2 flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
- Benji Reed, director of crew mission management, SpaceX
2 p.m. – Crew news conference with the following participants:
- Astronaut Robert Behnken, joint operations commander, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission
- Astronaut Douglas Hurley, spacecraft commander, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission