The timeline below covers major vehicle and crew activities during the Crew-5 countdown and rendezvous with the International Space Station. All times assume liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 12:00:57 p.m. EDT (1600:57 GMT) on Oct. 5. All times in Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4).
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
- 6:30:57 a.m. EDT: Chief engineer launch readiness briefing
- 7:00:57 a.m. EDT: Launch shift arrives in Firing Room 4; Dragon IMU align/configure for launch
- 7:30:57 a.m. EDT: Dragon prop pressurization
- 7:42:57 a.m. EDT: Crew weather brief
- 7:52:57 a.m. EDT: Crew handoff to SpaceX
- 8:00:57 a.m. EDT: Suit donning and checkouts
- 8:00:57 a.m. EDT: Launch director readiness poll for advance team to enter Blast Danger Area
- 8:05:57 a.m. EDT: Advance team travels to pad 39A
- 8:10:57 a.m. EDT: ISS state vector uploaded to Dragon
- 8:30 a.m. EDT: NASA TV coverage begins
- 8:40:57 a.m. EDT: Crew walkout from Neil Armstrong O&C Building
- 8:45:57 a.m. EDT: Crew departs for pad 39A in Tesla Model Xs
- 9:05:57 a.m. EDT: Crew arrives at pad 39A
- 9:25:57 a.m. EDT: Astronauts ingress into Crew Dragon
- 9:40:57 a.m. EDT: Crew communications checks
- 9:45:57 a.m. EDT: Verify ready for seat rotation
- 9:46:57 a.m. EDT: Suit leak checks
- 10:05:57 a.m. EDT: Hatch closed for flight
- 11:15:57 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load
- 11:18:57 a.m. EDT: Crew access arm retracts
- 11:22:57 a.m. EDT: Launch escape system armed
- 11:25:57 a.m. EDT: 1st and 2nd stage RP-1 fuel load begins; 1st stage LOX load begins
- 11:41:57 a.m. EDT: 2nd stage LOX load begins
- 11:53:57 a.m. EDT: 1st stage engine chill begins
- 11:55:57 a.m. EDT: Dragon transitions to internal power
- 11:56:27 a.m. EST: Strongback retraction begins
- 11:57:37 a.m. EDT: 1st stage fully loaded with RP-1
- 11:57:17 a.m. EDT: Autonomous Flight Termination System final setup
- 11:57:52 a.m. EDT: M-Vac engine igniter purge
- 11:57:57 a.m. EDT: 1st stage LOX tank full; Strongback at ~1.7 degrees
- 11:58:57 a.m. EDT: 2nd stage LOX tank full
- 11:59:57 a.m. EDT: Flight computer starts final pre-flight checks; F9 prop tanks pressurize for flight
- 12:00:12 p.m. EDT: SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
- 12:00:54 p.m. EDT: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence
- 12:00:57 p.m. EDT: Liftoff
- 12:00:57 p.m. EDT: Stage 1a abort mode
- 12:01:07 p.m. EDT: Pitch kick
- 12:01:50 p.m. EDT: Stage 1 throttle bucket
- 12:01:59 p.m. EDT: Max-Q
- 12:02:06 p.m. EDT: Mach 1
- 12:02:11 p.m. EDT: Stage 1b abort mode
- 12:03:33 p.m. EDT: Stage 2a abort mode
- 12:03:33 p.m. EDT: MECO; 1st stage engines cut off
- 12:03:36 p.m. EDT: Stage separation
- 12:03:43 p.m. EDT: 2nd stage’s M-Vac engine ignites
- 12:05:17 p.m. EDT: Bermuda ground station acquires F9 and Dragon signals
- 12:08:22 p.m. EDT: 1st stage entry burn
- 12:09:46 p.m. EDT: SECO-1; 2nd stage M-Vac engine shuts down; Orbit insertion
- 12:09:59 p.m. EDT: 1st stage landing burn
- 12:10:27 p.m. EDT: 1st stage landing on droneship
- 12:12:57 p.m. EDT: Dragon separates from 2nd stage; Begin Draco thruster checkouts
- 12:13:45 p.m. EDT: Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
- 12:49:32 p.m. EDT: Phase burn using Draco thrusters
- 1:30 p.m. EDT: Post-launch news conference on NASA TV
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
- 9:31 a.m. EDT: Boost burn using Draco thrusters
- 10:16 a.m. EDT: Close burn using Draco thrusters
- 11:26 a.m. EDT: Transfer burn using Draco thrusters
- 12:12 p.m. EDT: Coelliptic burn using Draco thrusters
- 1:57 p.m. EDT: Crew Dragon range 30 kilometers from ISS
- 2:48 p.m. EDT: Crew Dragon range 15 kilometers from ISS
- 3:02 p.m. EDT: Go/no go decision for approach initiation burn
- 3:05 p.m. EDT: Crew Dragon range 10 kilometers from ISS
- 3:27 p.m. EDT: Approach initiation burn; Crew Dragon range 7.5 kilometers from ISS
- 3:33 p.m. EDT: Crew Dragon range 6 kilometers from ISS
- 3:52 p.m. EDT: Approach initiation midcourse burn
- 3:59 p.m. EDT: Crew Dragon range 1 kilometer from ISS
- 4:02 p.m. EDT: Go/no go decision to enter ISS keep out sphere (a 200-meter zone around the ISS)
- 4:12 p.m. EDT: Waypoint Zero arrival (400 meters below ISS)
- 4:26 p.m. EDT: Go/no go decision to approach Waypoint 2
- 4:36 p.m. EDT: Docking axis/Waypoint 1 arrival (220 meters in front of ISS)
- 4:47 p.m. EDT: Waypoint 2 arrival and hold (20 meters from ISS)
- 4:48 p.m. EDT: Go/no go decision for docking
- 4:52 p.m. EDT: Resume approach from Waypoint 2 (20 meters from ISS)
- 4:57 p.m. EDT: Contact and capture at IDA-2 on forward port of the Harmony module
- 5:10 p.m. EDT: Docking sequence complete; All hooks closed; Power umbilicals mated
- 5:32 p.m. EDT: Leak checks begin between Crew Dragon and ISS
- 5:57 p.m. EDT: Leak checks complete; Vestibule pressurization
- 6:42 p.m. EDT: Hatch opening; Crew-5 astronauts enter ISS
- 8:05 p.m. EDT: Welcome ceremony
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