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 12:34:14 a.m. EST (1534:14 GMT) on March 2. All times in Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5).
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1
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- 7:04:57 p.m. EST: Chief engineer launch readiness briefing
- 7:34:57 p.m. EST: Launch shift arrives in Firing Room 4
- 7:34:57 p.m. EST: Dragon IMU align/configure for launch
- 8:04:57 p.m. EST: Dragon prop pressurization
- 8:09:57 p.m. EST: Dragon launch escape system health checks
- 8:16:57 p.m. EST: Crew weather brief
- 8:26:57 p.m. EST: Crew handoff to SpaceX
- 8:34:57 p.m. EST: Suit donning and checkouts
- 8:34:57 p.m. EST: Readiness poll for advance team to enter Blast Danger Area
- 8:39:57 p.m. EST: Advance team travels to pad 39A
- 8:44:57 p.m. EST: ISS state vector uploaded to Dragon
- 8:45 p.m. EST: NASA TV coverage begins
- 9:14:14 p.m. EST: Crew walkout from Neil Armstrong O&C Building
- 9:19:14 p.m. EST: Crew departs for pad 39A in Tesla Model Xs
- 9:39:14 p.m. EST: Crew arrives at pad 39A
- 9:59:14 p.m. EST: Astronauts ingress into Crew Dragon
- 10:14:14 p.m. EST: Crew communications checks
- 10:17:14 p.m. EST: Verify ready for seat rotation
- 10:18:14 p.m. EST: Suit leak checks
- 10:39:14 p.m. EST: Hatch closed for flight
- 10:44:14 p.m. EST: Dragon leak checks
- 11:49:14 p.m. EST: SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load
- 11:52:14 p.m. EST: Crew access arm retracts
- 11:56:14 p.m. EST: Launch escape system armed
- 11:59:14 p.m. EST: 1st and 2nd stage RP-1 fuel load begins; 1st stage LOX load begins
THURSDAY, MARCH 2- 12:14:44 a.m. EST: 2nd stage RP-1 tank full
- 12:17:44 a.m. EST: 2nd stage LOX load begins
- 12:24:14 a.m. EST: Final pre-launch communications check
- 12:27:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage engine chill begins
- 12:28:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage RP-1 tank full
- 12:29:14 a.m. EST: Dragon transitions to internal power
- 12:29:44 a.m. EST: Strongback retraction begins
- 12:30:34 a.m. EST: Autonomous Flight Termination System final setup
- 12:31:09 a.m. EST: M-Vac engine igniter purge
- 12:31:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage LOX tank full; Strongback at ~1.7 degrees
- 12:32:14 a.m. EST: 2nd stage LOX tank full
- 12:33:14 a.m. EST: Flight computer starts final pre-flight checks; F9 prop tanks pressurize
- 12:33:29 a.m. EST: SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
- 12:34:11 a.m. EST: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence
- 12:34:14 a.m. EST: Liftoff
- 12:34:14 a.m. EST: Stage 1a abort mode
- 12:34:24 a.m. EST: Pitch kick
- 12:35:07 a.m. EST: Stage 1 throttle bucket
- 12:35:16 a.m. EST: Max-Q
- 12:35:23 a.m. EST: Mach 1
- 12:35:29 a.m. EST: Stage 1b abort mode
- 12:36:48 a.m. EST: Stage 2a abort mode
- 12:36:48 a.m. EST: MECO; 1st stage engines cut off
- 12:36:52 a.m. EST: Stage separation
- 12:36:59 a.m. EST: 2nd stage’s M-Vac engine ignites
- 12:38:34 a.m. EST: Bermuda ground station acquires F9 and Dragon signals
- 12:41:36 a.m. EST: 1st stage entry burn
- 12:43:01 a.m. EST: SECO-1; 2nd stage M-Vac engine shuts down; Orbit insertion
- 12:43:13 a.m. EST: 1st stage landing burn
- 12:43:40 a.m. EST: 1st stage landing on droneship
- 12:46:11 a.m. EST: Dragon separates from 2nd stage; Begin Draco thruster checkouts
- 12:46:59 a.m. EST: Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
- 1:20:11 a.m. EST: Phase burn using Draco thrusters
- 2:30 a.m. EST: Post-launch news conference on NASA TV
- 10:24:13 a.m. EST: Boost burn using Draco thrusters
- 11:06:25 a.m. EST: Close burn using Draco thrusters
- 7:04:31 p.m. EST: Transfer burn using Draco thrusters
- 7:51:02 p.m. EST: Coelliptic burn using Draco thrusters
- 10:11 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 30 kilometers from ISS
- 11:02 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 15 kilometers from ISS
- 11:16 p.m. EST: Go/no go decision for approach initiation burn
- 11:19 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 10 kilometers from ISS
- 11:41 p.m. EST: Approach initiation burn; Crew Dragon range 7.5 kilometers from ISS
- 11:47 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 6 kilometers from ISS
FRIDAY, MARCH 3- 12:06 a.m. EST: Approach initiation midcourse burn
- 12:13 a.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 1 kilometer from ISS
- 12:22 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision to enter ISS keep out sphere (a 200-m zone around ISS)
- 12:26 a.m. EST: Waypoint Zero arrival (400 meters below ISS)
- 12:40 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision to approach Waypoint 2
- 1:00 a.m. EST: Docking axis/Waypoint 1 arrival (220 meters above ISS)
- 1:10 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision for docking
- 1:11 a.m. EST: Waypoint 2 arrival and hold (20 meters from ISS)
- 1:12 a.m. EST: Resume approach from Waypoint 2 (20 meters from ISS)
- 1:17 a.m. EST: Contact and capture at IDA-3 on zenith port of the Harmony module
- 1:30 a.m. EST: Docking sequence complete; All hooks closed; Power umbilicals mated
- 1:52 a.m. EST: Leak checks begin between Crew Dragon and ISS
- 2:17 a.m. EST: Leak checks complete; Vestibule pressurization
- 3:02 a.m. EST: Hatch opening; Crew-6 astronauts enter ISS
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