NASA provider SpaceX is scheduled to launch its ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station Monday, July 18. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 11:30 p.m. EDT, Sunday, July 17.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeting liftoff on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at 12:45 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 48 and 49 crew members.
As part of prelaunch activities, NASA TV will air a prelaunch briefing conducted by mission managers on Saturday, July 16, at 2 p.m. The briefing also will stream live on the agency’s website at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. SpaceX also is planning to attempt to land its Falcon 9 first stage on land.
After a two-day trip, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams will use the station’s 57.7-foot (17.6-meter) robotic arm to reach out and capture the Dragon spacecraft as he operates from the station’s cupola. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will serve as the backup. Ground commands will be sent from Houston for the station’s arm to install Dragon on the Earth-facing side of the station’s Harmony module for its stay at the space station. By the next day, the crew will pressurize the vestibule between the station and Dragon, and then open the hatch that leads to the forward bulkhead of Dragon.
Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture July 20 will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA TV, with installation set to begin at 9:45 a.m.
During the next five weeks, crew members will unload the spacecraft and reload it with cargo to return to Earth. About five-and-a-half hours after it departs the station Aug. 29, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
In addition to SpaceX’s arrival, Roscosmos is scheduled to launch its next cargo resupply mission on the ISS Progress 64 cargo resupply mission at 5:41 p.m. EDT, Saturday, July 16, with a docking Monday night. NASA Television of launch coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Media at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will have the opportunity to participate in special tours and briefings July 16 and 17, as well as view the launch. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed. For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.
If the launch does not occur Monday, July 18, the next launch opportunity is midnight Wednesday, July 20, with NASA TV coverage starting at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 19.
PRESS ACCREDITATION OFFICE HOURS OF OPERATION
Media badges will be issued at the Press Accreditation Office located on State Road 3, Merritt Island. Badging hours of operation are:
Saturday, July 16: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 17: 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., 10 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.
PRESS SITE HOURS OF OPERATION
The NASA Press Site at Kennedy will be open as follows:
Saturday, July 16: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 17: 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. Monday, July 18
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Saturday, July 16 (L-2 day): A prelaunch status briefing will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium at 2 p.m. and airs live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at www.nasa.gov/ntv.
Participants will be:
Dan Hartman, deputy ISS Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Julie Robinson, chief ISS Program scientist, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Flight Reliability, SpaceX
Mike McAleenan, weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron
“WHAT’S ON BOARD” SCIENCE BRIEFING ON NASA TV
Sunday, July 17 (L-1 day): A science, research and technology briefing will be held at Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium at 3 p.m. and airs live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. This briefing is geared toward NASA Social participants with limited seating for media.
Participants will be:
Julie Robinson, chief ISS Program scientist, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will provide an overview of the more than 250 science investigations that will take place during Expeditions 48 and 49.
Michael Roberts, deputy chief scientist, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the U.S. National Laboratory aboard the space station, will discuss how these investigations aim to provide a better understanding of living and working in space while also improving life on Earth.
Sarah Wallace, microbiologist at Johnson, will discuss the first experiment to test sequencing DNA in space. A space-based DNA sequencer could identify microbes, diagnose diseases, increase our understanding of crew member health, and potentially help detect DNA-based life elsewhere in the solar system.
Lanetra Tate, program executive for NASA’s Game Changing Development Program, will highlight how a phase-change material heat exchanger device could help maintain critical temperatures inside a spacecraft by freezing or thawing a material.
Bruce Hammer, professor at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research in Minneapolis, will discuss an experiment with the U.S. National Lab and National Institutes of Health to test the accuracy of a device used to simulate microgravity, which will lead to a better understanding of gravity’s effect on bone cell function.
Arun Sharma, graduate student, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute in Stanford, California, will discuss an experiment with the U.S. National Lab on how microgravity changes the human heart. Results could advance the study of heart disease and development of drugs and cell replacement therapy for future space missions.
Sean Kelly, senior project manager for the relocation and International Docking Adapter, Johnson Space Center; and David Clemen, ISS development and modification projects, Boeing, will discuss the first of two international docking adapters that will be installed on the space station.
POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Monday, July 18: A post-launch news conference will occur at about 2 a.m. in Kennedy’s Press Site TV Auditorium and air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Participants will be:
Dan Hartman, deputy International Space Station Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Flight Reliability, SpaceX
NEWS MEDIA TOURS
News and social media participants will receive tours of various facilities and attend briefings about upcoming NASA and commercial partner activities.
Journey to Mars/Commercial Crew Program Update Event
Saturday, July 16 (L-2 Day): News media will depart the Press Site by bus at 8:30 a.m. Media will receive an update from NASA on the Launch Pad 39B modifications in preparation for NASA’s journey to Mars. At 10 a.m., media will depart for Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility, where they will hear about the international docking adapters that future visiting vehicles, including those in development with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, will use when docking to the station. Considered the most important addition to the ISS since completion in 2011, the adapter is essential to docking with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in the near future.
Remote Camera Set Up/Pad Photo Opportunity – Space Launch Complex 40 or Universal Camera Site 3
Sunday, July 17 (L-1 Day): News media will be able to establish sound-activated remote cameras to capture the liftoff from the pad at Space Launch Complex 40. Foreign national media will be able to establish remote cameras at the nearby Universal Camera Site 3. Buses depart the Press Site at 7 p.m. After all cameras are deployed, media will depart for the Press Site at 8:30 p.m. with an expected arrival time of 9 p.m.
Launch Viewing
Sunday, July 17 (L-1 Day): News media wanting to view the launch from the NASA Causeway will depart the Press Site by bus at 11:15 p.m.
A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for media desiring to photograph the launch from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Space is limited for this activity so media must sign up in person. At 11:15 p.m. Sunday, July 17, media selected will depart the Press Site for the VAB.
NASA SOCIAL
Up to 50 social media representatives were invited to cover launch. The Kennedy Press Site Annex will serve as their home base, and they will view launch from the NASA Causeway. Social media will attend some of the same activities as the traditional news media and will receive tours of various facilities and briefings about upcoming NASA and commercial partner activities.
NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Sunday, July 17 (L-1 Day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 11:30 p.m. 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,” the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 11 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs July 18, NASA TV will provide live coverage of the arrival of the SpaceX CRS-9 Dragon spacecraft to the space station July 20. NASA TV will cover the rendezvous and capture of the spacecraft beginning at 5:30 a.m. with installation taking place at approximately 10 a.m. NASA TV coverage of the installation of Dragon will begin at 9:30 a.m.
NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-9 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 11:30 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the newsroom at 321-867-2468. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:
Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-9 mission by going to the mission home page at:
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy
RECORDED STATUS
Recorded status reports on the launch of SpaceX CRS-9 spacecraft and associated prelaunch activities will be provided on the Kennedy media phone line starting Friday, July 15. The telephone number is 321-867-2525.
WIRELESS CAPABILITY
Wireless capability for the news media is available at the Kennedy Press Site.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
