NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, which will send astronauts to the International Space Station.
The launch is targeted for 3:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Freedom by the mission’s crew, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27.
Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Crew-4 flight will carry Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, all NASA astronauts, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency).
The mission is the fourth crew rotation to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, and the fifth SpaceX flight with NASA astronauts – including the Demo-2 test flight in 2020 to the space station – as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below. The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, April 26
7 a.m. (approximately) – Prelaunch news teleconference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the launch readiness review) with the following participants:
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
- Zeb Scoville, chief flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, NASA Johnson
- Jessica Jensen, vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX
- Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA
- Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 6 a.m. on April 26 at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
9 a.m. – NASA administrator media briefing on NASA TV with the following participants:
- Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
- Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator
- Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA
- Heidi Parris, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, April 27
12 a.m. – NASA Television mission commentary coverage begins
3:52 a.m. – Launch
5:30 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference
- Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
- Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
- Jessica Jensen, vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX
- Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA
Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
8:15 p.m. (approximately) – Docking
9:45 p.m. (approximately) – Hatch Opening
Thursday, April 28
2:40 a.m. (approximately) – Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station
NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. A “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/
Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Attend the launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch and engage on social media
Let people know you’re following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-4.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425 antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A beginning Monday morning. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted through launch.
Once the feed is live, you will find it here:
https://youtube.com/
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station for more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:
