Nick Hague, left, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, right. Photos from NASA and Roscosmos
NASA has made an official announcement regarding the roster for Crew 9, currently scheduled to fly to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon no earlier than September 24.
In a press release issued August 30, the agency said, “NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as crewmates, are eligible for reassignment on a future mission.”
NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman Photo: NASA
They added that Hague and Gorbunov would fly to the space station as commanders and pilots on a two-crew member flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon. These changes were made to create room aboard Crew Dragon for Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose spacecraft will return to Earth on September 6 without the two aboard.
“I am deeply proud of our entire crew,” said Cardman said in the NASA press release, “and I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.”
NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Photo: NASA
Wilson added, “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job with their work aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.”
NASA Chief Astronaut Joe Acabo said, “While we’ve changed crew before for a variety of reasons, downsizing crew for this flight was another tough decision to adjust to given that the crew has trained as a crew of four.”
NASA says it will share the reassignment details for Cardman and Wilson when they become available.
Polaris Dawn on the launch mount at LC-39A on August 28, 2024, after the launch was called off for the day. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX has called off the Polaris Dawn launch of Falcon 9 until at least Friday, August 29th. The company announced shortly after 10 PM EDT that it was standing down for the night, and stated on its website that its next attempt would be no earlier than the end of the week:
Those areas would be of vital importance in the unlikely event of an in-flight abort that forced Crew Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew to land downrange in the seas off of the Florida coast. With unacceptable conditions there, the launch was scrubbed roughly 5.5 hours before L-0.
The launch vehicle and crew remain healthy and safe, and a new launch date will likely be announced soon.
Due to unfavorable weather forecasted in Dragon’s splashdown areas off the coast of Florida, we are now standing down from tonight and tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch opportunities of Polaris Dawn. Teams will continue to monitor weather for favorable launch and return conditions
Repairs on Helium Quick-Disconnect Completed Earlier Tuesday
SpaceX completed repairs on the faulty quick-disconnect Helium supply line earlier in the day with alacrity, as repairs were completed by early afternoon. Shortly afterward, around 2 PM, Falcon was raised to a standing launch condition. Unfortunately, weather conditions offshore in the abort zone necessitated a two-day stand-down hours later.
SpaceX launch crew effecting repairs on the faulty Helium QD system on August 27, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The crew of Polaris Dawn looks at their ride to space at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on August 25. Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn
The four crew members of Polaris Dawn are in the final parts of mission preparation at Kennedy Space Center today, and readying themselves for the planned liftoff of their mission overnight Tuesday morning.
All four are incredibly accomplished, successful, and results-driven; their curriculum vitae (Latin for “course of life”) shows that vividly.
Here’s a brief look at their paths to the launch pad:
Jared Isaacman, Mission Commander
Jared Isaacman, seen August 25th during rehearsal of launch day activities at Kennedy Space Center Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn
Born in 1983 in New Jersey, Jared Isaacman began taking flying lessons in 2005. In 2008 and 2009, he set world records for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe. In 2011, he received a Bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Isaacman is the CEO of Shift4, a leading payments processing company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and is the founder of Draken International, a company that provides contract air services using tactical fighter aircraft. Draken’s customers include the Department of Defense and the defense industry.
While in the Air Force, Poteet’s roles included a stint as commanding officer of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, a storied unit started in World War II that now primarily support the USAF Weapons School.
After the Air Force, Poteet worked for Draken Interntional and then Shift4 before he began training full time for the Polaris Dawn flight.
Poteet was a mission director in the 2021 for Inspiration 4. This will be his first flight to space.
Sarah Gillis, Mission Specialist
Sarah Gillis, as seen August 25th during the rehearsal of launch day activities at Kennedy Space Center Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn
A familiar face to many space supporters, Sarah Gillis works for SpaceX as the Lead Space Operations engineer for the company, and she is often seen in documentaries and broadcasts of SpaceX’s crewed launch activities. She is often seen the Netflix documentary “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space,” where she she helped train the crew for their upcoming flight and also during the activities in space.
From Boulder Colorado, Ms. Gillis says that, “Growing up in a family of artists and musicians, I can’t say I grew up dreaming of being an engineer (or even knowing what engineering was). Rather, I fell into it when I discovered there was a profession entirely dedicated to creative problem solving, and have been hooked ever since.”
Gillis holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado. This will be her first space flight.
Anna Menon, Mission Specialist and Medical Officer
Anna Menon, as seen August 25th during the rehearsal of launch day activities at Kennedy Space Center Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn
From Houston, Texas, Anna Menon also works for SpaceX as the Lead Space Operations Engineer. In her role, she manages the development of crew operations and serves in mission control as both a Mission Director and crew communicator.
She has led the implementation of Dragon’s crew capabilities, helped create the crew communicator operator role, and developed critical operational responses to vehicle emergencies such as a fire or cabin depressurization. Anna served in mission control during multiple Dragon missions, such as Demo-2, Crew-1, CRS-22, CRS-23, Crew-3, Crew-4, and Axiom-1.
Menon is a NASA veteran, woking seven years at the agency as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and also Spanish from TCU (Texas Christian University) as well as a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.
This will also be her first spaceflight.
Polaris Dawn is scheduled to launch Tuesday, August 27th. SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, August 27 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch from Launch Complex 39A SpaceX adds that there are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, August 28 at the same times.
A Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon lifts off from LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Note: Biographies were prepared in part with information from the Polaris Dawn website.
Polaris Dawn’s Crew: (L-R) Jared “Rook” Isaacmen, Sarah Gillis, Anna Menon and Scott “Kid” Poteet. Photo: Jon Kraus / Polaris Program
The crew for the upcoming privately crew flight of Polaris Dawn mission arrived at Kennedy Space Center earlier this week and are now in final preparations for their upcoming flight aboard a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
The Polaris Dawn launch window opens at 03:38 AM EDT Tuesday August 27 and extends until 07:10 AM the same day. If for some reason the launch is called off Tuesday, the next opportunity is Wednesday, August 28 using the same times.
Once aloft, the mission is planned to last five days.
Jared Isaacman Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Program
“After more than two years of training, we are excited to embark on this mission,” said Jared Isaacman, commander of the Polaris Dawn mission earlier this week.
“We are incredibly thankful for this opportunity and to the thousands of SpaceX engineers who have contributed to this endeavor. We hope the results from our mission will accelerate SpaceX’s vision to make life multiplanetary and support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and its efforts to improve global survival rates for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Throughout our mission, we will aim to inspire humankind to look up and imagine what we can achieve here on Earth and in the worlds beyond our own.”
Isaacmen will be joined by Sarah Gillis, Anna Menon and Scott “Kid” Poteet on the Polaris Dawn mission, which plans to eventually fly at an orbital attitude of ~700 km (~435 miles) above the surface of the Earth, the highest since Pete Conrad and Richard Gordon flew Gemini 11 to a 1,373 km (~853 miles) in 1966.
To provide a bit of contrast, the International Space Station orbits the Earth at around 400 km (~250 miles), and the Hubble Space Telescope is at 515 km (320 miles). Polaris Dawn will be above both.
The mission also plans to conduct the first all-private spacewalk. All four astronauts will don new spacesuits built by SpaceX for this mission, while two will actually exit the depressurized Falcon 9.
Rendering of the Polaris Dawn Spacewalk Graphic: Polaris Program
“The idea is to learn as much as we possibly can about this suit and get it back to the engineers to inform future suit design evolutions,” Isaacman said Monday at Kennedy Space Center.
During their spacewalk, the crew will conduct tests to provide data that will provide SpaceX engineers with in-flight data of each suit’s performance, strengths, and weaknesses. That, in turn, will inform improvements, allowing SpaceX teams to produce and scale the suit for future long-duration missions.
LASER-based Space Communication
The mission will also test a new communications system while in flight. Using optical-based transmitters and receivers, Polaris Dawn will link with Starlink satellites, which will then link to Earth.
This will provide greater bandwidth than the current TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System) system used by current American spaceflights and of course ISS with military usage also being an important role for the system.
The TDRSS system. Graphic via Wikimedia
TDRSS has been in place since the 1980s, and while it has been a robust and reliable form of communication, its services are limited by the amount of usage for ISS, crewed flights, and other missions.
Currently, TDRSS provides about 6 Megabit per second in the S-band and 800 Mb/s in the Ku/Ka bands. That’s roughly what a home with cable broadband gets, and while that’s a decent amount of broadband, it is very busy and does no have a great deal of additional capacity.
The LASER links to Starlink will provide more bandwidth and multiple connections, giving more data flow to and from the Earth. With the growth of commercial spaceflight and the promise of commercial space stations in the near future, clearly a new system is needed.
Medical Experiments
Polaris Dawn will conduct at least forty human health experiments while in orbit, providing vital data to SpaceX about the physiological changes and effects of spaceflight on the human body, which in turn will help the company and others prepare future astronauts for long-duration flight both in orbit but also on the moon and for flights to and from Mars.
While it would be easy to overlook these experiments, new data on spaceflight and humans can only add to the knowledge already gathered through the years, particularly on ISS. The results that Polaris Dawn astronauts provide will confirm or question previous results, for example, and that can only improve the lives of future astronauts.
Talk of Titusville will be providing full coverage of the Polaris Dawn flight. Be sure to check back over the next few days for crew biographies, launch previews and more!
A Falcon 9 booster returning to land at Cape Canaveral Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 carrying two Maxar Earth-observation satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral tomorrow morning. The launch window opens at 09:00 AM EDT and closes at 12:00 PM the same day.
Booster B1076 has been assigned to the mission, and it will be making its 16th flight. This will be a Return To Landing Site Mission, meaning there will be a sonic boom heard across the Space Coast as the booster returns to land.
At A Glance
Mission: Legion Worldview 3 & 4
Date: NET August 11, 2024
Launch Window: 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT*
Weather: 80% Go during the primary launch window
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Trajectory: Northeast
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Booster Landing: LZ-1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
The 45th Weather Squadron’s forecast has a 20% chance of a weather-related range violation, meaning that weather is 80% go. They do have concerns about cumulus clouds in the flight path as well as an additional risk of upper-level windshear.
All in all, this is a great forecast for July in Florida.
Via 45th Weather Squadron Retrieved 08/14/2024 3:00 PM
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Maxar 2 Mission. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Flight an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.
Launch Viewing: In Person
If there is a launch that you really want to head to Jetty Park to see, this is one of them. While Jetty Park has an indirect view of liftoff (you won’t see the rocket until it clears the berm on the CCSFS side of the port) but you will get as good a view of the landing sequence as there is, on or off the base. Go early if you plan to view it from there, and then keep in mind that you must pay your entrance fee in advance.
Otherwise, the usual Space Launch Complex 40 viewing sites are quite good as well: the Banana River Bridge on FL 528W, Cocoa Beach, and the southern Titusville parks on Washington Avenue.
Keep in mind it will get progressively warmer as morning progresses, so be prepared with cold drinks, sunscreen and maybe even bug spray, just in case.
Crew Dragon sitting on SpaceX’s launch pad at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX announced a new private crew mission aboard Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon that is slated to fly no earlier than late this year.
Called “Fram2”, the mission is named after the polar exploration ship Fram, a ship used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. Fram is now housed in a museum in Oslo, and is held in high regard by many polar exploration explorers.
The polar ship Fram, in a photograph from the Fram Museum in Oslo.
Fram2 will be going to space rather than onto the open ocean, of course, and during the upcoming mission, Mission Commander Chun Wang a Maltese citizen, will be joined by Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen acting as vehicle commander; Australia’s Eric Philips the vehicle pilot; and Germany’s Rabea Rogge, a mission specialist, will be aboard Falcon 9. None of the four have traveled to space to date.
The Fram2 crew: from left: Eric Philips, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Chun Yang, Rabea Rogge Photo: SpaceX
Fram2’s Planned Mission
Their mission will be to examine “unusual light emissions resembling auroras. The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400 – 500 km above Earth’s atmosphere.”
The SpaceX release also says that crewmembers will “to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, which includes capturing the first human x-ray images in space, Just-in-Time training tools, and studying the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health,” all to inform long-term spaceflight such as the company’s stated goal of sending humans to Mars.
The launch will take place in Florida no earlier than late this year.
As seen from Kennedy Point Park in Titusville, Starlink 10-7 rises off of LC-39A on August 12, 2024 Photo: Richard P. Gallagher / Florida Media Now
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying another group of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center this morning in the predawn hours. Liftoff was at 06:37 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A.
The booster used for this mission, B1073, completed its portion of the mission successfully a little more than eight minutes later when it touched down safely on the SpaceX drone ship ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ east of Charleston on the Atlantic Ocean. The drone ship will now return to Port Canaveral after a few days, where the booster will be offloaded, transported to Space X’s ‘Hangar X’ facility at Kennedy Space Center. There it will be inspected, refurbished and prepared for its next mission.
Florida Media Now’s Cal Faxton caught this shot of Falcon 9 racing above and beyond a passing jetliner this morning. Photo: Cal Foxton, Florida Media Now
At 07:34 SpaceX announced a successful second burn of the second stage of the Falcon 9 that it used for this mission, and at 07:41 AM the company announced a successful payload deployment of the Starlink satellites, indicating a successful end to the mission.
The Starlink satellites will now travel to the final orbital locations under their own power, and after commissioning, will joing the other 6100+ active satellites in the Starlink constellation. Those satellites provide Internet connectivity for over 3.1 million people in over 100 countries and territories across the globe.
Launch Replay
Replay of the Starlink 10-7 launch
Next Launch
NET Thursday, August 14, SpaceX will be back in action with a Falcon 9, this time from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station when the company plans to launch the WorldView Legion 3&4 satellites. Those satellites are owned and operated by Maxar, are used for Earth-imaging for Maxar’s customers.
Date: NET August 14, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: WorldView Legion 3 & 4
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Early in the launch window, Playalinda Beach was bright and sunny with light breezes. Spectators were relatively light, probably because it’s Florida, it’s August and it was truly hot. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX Scrubs In The Last Minute, Disappointing Spectators
It was hotter than a dog’s mouth this morning for spectators waiting in vain to watch today’s planned rocket launch. Scheduled to liftoff at 10:59 AM EDT, at 46 seconds, SpaceX called off the launch of Falcon 9 and the Starlink 10-7 mission from Launch Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center.
No official reason for the scrub was announced by the company.
Spectators gathered at the stop point on Playalinda Beach. This photo was made with about a minute left on the countdown. The launch scrubbed seconds later.
SpaceX is now targeting liftoff no earlier than 06:37 AM EDT (1037 UTC) on Monday, August 12th.
Weather
Tomorrow’s weather should offer conditions resulting in 95% GO weather-wise.
via 45th Weather Squadron, retrieved 08/11/2024 at 05:00 PM EDT
A pair of Falcon 9 launches: from SLC-40 at left, LC-39A at right. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX is planning to launch two Falcon 9 rockets carrying Starlink satellites from Florida tomorrow.
Mission
Launchpad
Launch Window
Starlink 8-3
SLC-40, CCSFS
08:50 – 10:48 AM EDT
Starlink 10-7
LC-39A, KSC
09:03 – 11:21 AM EDT
Weather looks good, with the 45th Weather Squadron rating chances of acceptable conditions at 90% GO at the beginning of both launch windows.
Additionally, the 45th has dropped off Booster Recovery Weather off its list of additional risks. Booster recovery weather prevented SpaceX from launching Starlink 8-3 on Friday, probably due to the lingering effects of tropical system Debby. The storm has pulled out of the area and is quickly accelerating towards New England, and hopefully that will allow some calming of sea states for both SpaceX droneships out to see east of South Carolina.
Weather
Via Windy.com
Starlink 8-3
Starlink 10-7
Trajectory
Trajectories are quite similar and for simplicity’s sake we will present them as a single path. Both missions will travel northeastward.
Landing
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster used for Starlink 8-3 will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions.’
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster used for Starlink 10-7 will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’
As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 8-3. For Starlink 10-7 click here. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launches starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Live Viewing
Jetty Park, The Banana River Bridge on FL 528W, Cocoa Beach, and the Titusville parks are your best bets. Playalinda Beach opens at 6 AM, and crowds can be expected there.
SpaceX Falcon 9 on the launch pad Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Update, 12:06 PM EDT August 9: SpaceX waived off their attempt today due to weather in the landing zone. The company said they plan to launch tomorrow. The launch window opens at 08:50 AM EDT
SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 Friday morning. The launch window opens 08:13 AM EDT, and closes at 11:17 AM EDT the same day. Weather is 90% GO at the beginning of the launch window and dips slightly to 80% GO later in the morning.
If needed, SpaceX has a backup window opening at 8:50 AM EDT.
At A Glance
Mission: Starlink 8-3
Date: NET August 8, 2024
Launch Window: 08:13 AM EDT – 11:17 AM EDT
Weather: 90% GO at the opening of the launch window
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Trajectory: Northeastward
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS Just Read The Instructions
Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for exact T-0.
Trajectory
Northeastward
Payload
The payload for this mission is a familiar one: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Once deployed and operational, the satellites will join SpaceX’s Starlink constellation that provides Internet connectivity to over three million subscribers in over 100 countries globally.
90% GO. The main concern is the Cumulus Cloud Rule. There is a notation of weather in the vicinity near ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’ having a low to moderate risk:
Landing
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions.’
As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 10-9. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Live Viewing
Jetty Park, The Banana River Bridge on FL 528W, Cocoa Beach, and the southern Titusville parks are your best bets.
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