Names | USCV-2 (2012–2019) Crew-2 |
---|---|
Mission type | ISS crew transport |
Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2021-030A |
SATCAT no. | 48209 |
Mission duration | 199 days, 17 hours and 43 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Endeavour |
Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Launch mass | 12,055 kg (26,577 lb) [1] |
Landing mass | 9,616 kg (21,200 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 4 |
Members | |
Expedition | Expedition 65 / 66 |
EVAs | 4 |
EVA duration | 27 hours and 22 minutes |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 23 April 2021, 09:49:02 UTC [2] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1061.2) |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | SpaceX |
End of mission | |
Recovered by | GO Navigator |
Landing date | 9 November 2021, 03:33 UTC |
Landing site | Gulf of Mexico |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Docking with International Space Station | |
Docking port | Harmony forward |
Docking date | 24 April 2021, 09:10 UTC |
Undocking date | 21 July 2021, 10:45 UTC |
Time docked | 88 days |
Docking with International Space Station (relocation) [3] [lower-alpha 1] | |
Docking port | Harmony zenith |
Docking date | 21 July 2021,11:36 UTC |
Undocking date | 8 November 2021,19:05 UTC [5] |
Time docked | 110 days |
SpaceX Crew-2 mission patch McArthur,Pesquet,Hoshide and Kimbrough |
SpaceX Crew-2 was the second operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft,and the third overall crewed orbital flight of the Commercial Crew Program. The mission was launched on 23 April 2021 at 09:49:02 UTC,and docked to the International Space Station on 24 April at 09:08 UTC. [2]
SpaceX Crew-2 used the same capsule as Crew Dragon Demo-2 (Endeavour) and launched on the same Falcon 9 booster as SpaceX Crew-1 (B1061.1).
With its return to Earth the evening of 9 November 2021,the mission set a record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed spacecraft,199 days. [6]
On 28 July 2020,JAXA,ESA and NASA confirmed their astronaut assignments aboard this mission. [7] [8]
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Spacecraft commander | Shane Kimbrough,NASA Expedition 65 / 66 Third and last spaceflight | |
Pilot | K. Megan McArthur,NASA Expedition 65 / 66 Second spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Akihiko Hoshide,JAXA Expedition 65 / 66 Third spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | Thomas Pesquet,ESA Expedition 65 / 66 Second spaceflight |
German astronaut Matthias Maurer was the backup for Pesquet,while Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa trained as backup to Hoshide. [8] [9]
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Spacecraft commander | Not assigned | |
Pilot | Not assigned | |
Mission Specialist 1 | Satoshi Furukawa,JAXA | |
Mission Specialist 2 | Matthias Maurer,ESA |
The second SpaceX operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program launched on 23 April 2021. [10] [11] The Crew Dragon Endeavour docked to the International Docking Adapter (IDA) at the forward port of the Harmony module. This was the first mission with astronauts on board to use a previously flown booster launch vehicle. [12] [13]
All crew members were veteran astronauts,though this was Megan McArthur's first visit to the ISS (as her first spaceflight was STS-125,a mission to the Hubble Space Telescope). McArthur used the same seat on the Crew Dragon Endeavour which her husband,Bob Behnken,used on the Demo-2 mission. [14] Akihiko Hoshide served as the second Japanese ISS commander during his stay. [7] It was the second mission by Thomas Pesquet to the International Space Station and was named Alpha,after Alpha Centauri,the closest star system to Earth. [8]
To prepare for the arrival of a Starliner the Endeavour,docked to ISS at Harmony forward port,was undocked at 10:45 UTC and relocated to Harmony zenith port on 21 July 2021,at 11:36 UTC. [lower-alpha 1]
With CRS-23,(C208) and Inspiration4 ( Resilience ),three Dragon spacecraft were in space at the same time,from 16 to 18 September 2021 (UTC).
MET | Time | Date (UTC) | Event [15] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
EDT | UTC | |||
−6:40:00 | 11:09:00 PM | 03:09:00 | 23 April 2021 | Crew wake |
−05:30:00 | 0:19:02 AM | 04:19:02 | CE launch readiness briefing | |
−05:00:00 | 0:49:02 AM | 04:49:02 | Launch shift on console | |
−04:59:59 | 0:49:03 AM | 04:49:03 | Dragon IMU align and configure for launch. | |
−04:30:00 | 1:19:02 AM | 04:19:02 | Dragon propellant pressurization | |
−04:20:00 | 1:29:02 AM | 04:29:02 | Crew weather brief | |
−04:10:00 | 1:39:02 AM | 05:39:02 | Crew handoff | |
−04:00:00 | 1:49:02 AM | 05:49:02 | Suit donning and checkouts | |
−03:20:00 | 2:29:02 AM | 05:29:02 | Crew walk out of Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building | |
−03:15:00 | 2:34:02 AM | 05:34:02 | Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) by Tesla Model X with "RECYCLE" license plate | |
−02:55:00 | 2:54:02 AM | 06:54:02 | Crew arrives at pad | |
−02:35:00 | 3:14:02 AM | 07:14:02 | Crew ingress | |
−02:20:00 | 3:29:02 AM | 07:29:02 | Communication check | |
−02:15:00 | 3:34:02 AM | 07:34:02 | Verify ready for seat rotation | |
−02:14:00 | 3:35:02 AM | 07:35:02 | Suit leak checks | |
−01:55:00 | 3:54:02 AM | 07:54:02 | Hatch close | |
−01:10:00 | 4:39:02 AM | 08:39:02 | ISS state upload to Dragon | |
−00:45:00 | 5:04:02 AM | 09:04:02 | SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load | |
−00:42:00 | 5:07:02 AM | 09:07:02 | Crew access arm retracts | |
−00:38:00 | 5:11:02 AM | 09:11:02 | Dragon launch escape system is armed. | |
−00:35:00 | 5:14:02 AM | 09:14:02 | RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins;1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins. | |
−00:16:00 | 5:33:02 AM | 09:33:02 | 2nd stage LOX loading begins. | |
−00:07:00 | 5:42:02 AM | 09:42:02 | Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch. | |
−00:05:00 | 5:44:02 AM | 09:44:02 | Dragon transitions to internal power | |
−00:01:00 | 5:48:02 AM | 09:48:02 | Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks;propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins. | |
−00:00:45 | 5:48:17 AM | 09:48:17 | SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch. | |
−00:00:03 | 5:48:59 AM | 09:48:59 | Engine controller commands Merlin engine ignition sequence to start. | |
00:00:00 | 5:49:02 AM | 09:49:02 | Liftoff | |
+00:01:02 | 5:50:04 AM | 09:50:04 | Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the launch vehicle) | |
+00:02:36 | 5:51:38 AM | 09:51:38 | 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) | |
+00:02:39 | 5:51:41 AM | 09:51:41 | 1st and 2nd stages separate | |
+00:02:47 | 5:51:49 AM | 09:51:49 | 2nd stage engine starts | |
+00:07:27 | 5:56:29 AM | 09:56:29 | 1st stage entry burn | |
+00:08:47 | 5:57:49 AM | 09:57:49 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) | |
+00:09:03 | 5:58:05 AM | 09:58:05 | 1st stage landing burn | |
+00:09:30 | 5:58:32 AM | 09:58:32 | 1st stage landing | |
+00:11:58 | 6:01:00 AM | 10:01:00 | Crew Dragon separates from 2nd stage | |
+00:13:02 | 6:02:04 AM | 10:02:04 | Dragon nosecone open sequence begins | |
+1/ | 3:31 AM | 07:31 | 24 April 2021 | Dragon starts the final phase of the approach to the ISS. [16] |
+1/03:33 | 05:08 AM | 09:08 | Soft capture to the ISS. [17] | |
+1/03:33 | 05:20 AM | 09:20 | Dragon docked to the ISS. [18] | |
+1/05:34 | 7:15 AM | 11:15 | Hatch opened. [19] | |
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program,and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Gemini 6;the first song was Hello,Dolly. [20] Each track is specially chosen,often by the astronauts' families,and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew,or is applicable to their daily activities. [21]
Flight Day | Song | Artist | Played for | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|
Day 2 | An off-key,all flute comedic cover of A-Ha's "Take On Me",made by YouTube artist "Shittyflute". [22] | A-ha (original) Shittyflute (Cover) | Thomas Pesquet |
Due to weather delays and a minor health problem with one of the SpaceX Crew-3 crew, [23] NASA decided to bring home the Crew-2 astronauts from the ISS before launching Crew-3,thus being the first Crew Dragon indirect handover of space station crews. The Crew Dragon undocked from the station at 19:05 UTC on 8 November 2021 and splashed down off the coast of Florida at 03:33 UTC on 9 November 2021. [5] One of four parachutes deployed slower than the others. [24]
Soichi Noguchi is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a mission specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster. He was also in space as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 crew and Expedition 22 to the International Space Station (ISS), returning to Earth on 2 June 2010. He is the sixth Japanese astronaut to fly in space, the fifth to fly on the Space Shuttle, and the first to fly on Crew Dragon.
Katherine Megan McArthur is an American oceanographer, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She has served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). Megan McArthur has flown one Space Shuttle mission, STS-125 and one SpaceX mission, SpaceX Crew-2 on Crew Dragon Endeavour. She is known as the last person to be hands on with the Hubble Space Telescope via the Canadarm. McArthur has served in a number of positions including working in the Shuttle Avionics Laboratory (SAIL). She is married to fellow astronaut Robert L. Behnken.
Thomas Gautier Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer, pilot, European Space Agency astronaut, actor and writer. Pesquet was selected by ESA as a candidate in May 2009, and he successfully completed his basic training in November 2010. From November 2016 to June 2017, Pesquet was part of Expedition 50 and Expedition 51 as a flight engineer. Pesquet returned to space in April 2021 on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon for a second six-month stay on the ISS.
The Boeing Starliner is a class of two partially reusable spacecraft designed to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations. It is manufactured by Boeing, with the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) of NASA as the anchor customer. The spacecraft consists of a reusable crew capsule and an expendable service module.
Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX also launches private missions, such as Inspiration4 and Axiom Space Missions. There are two variants of the Dragon spacecraft: Crew Dragon, a spacecraft capable of ferrying four crewmembers, and Cargo Dragon, a replacement for the original Dragon 1 used to carry freight to and from space. The spacecraft consists of a reusable space capsule and an expendable trunk module. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and the capsule returns to Earth through splashdown.
Crew Dragon Demo-1 was the first orbital test of the Dragon 2 spacecraft. The mission launched on 2 March 2019 at 07:49:03 UTC, and arrived at the International Space Station on 3 March 2019, a little over 24 hours after the launch. The mission ended following a successful splashdown on 8 March 2019 at 13:45:08 UTC.
Crew Dragon Demo-2 was the first crewed test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endeavour, launched on 30 May 2020 on a Falcon 9 rocket, and carried NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the International Space Station in the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011, and the first ever operated by a commercial provider. Demo-2 was also the first two-person orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since STS-4 in 1982. Demo-2 completed the validation of crewed spaceflight operations using SpaceX hardware and received human-rating certification for the spacecraft, including astronaut testing of Crew Dragon capabilities on orbit.
Boeing Starliner-1 also called Post Certification Mission-1 (PCM-1) is planned to be the first operational crew mission of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Commercial Crew Program. It would be the fourth orbital flight mission of the Starliner overall. It is scheduled to launch no earlier than early 2025, transporting members of a future ISS Expedition.
SpaceX Crew-1 was the first operational crewed flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. It was also the second crewed orbital flight launch by the United States since that of STS-135 in July 2011. Resilience launched on 16 November 2020 at 00:27:17 UTC on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, all members of the Expedition 64 crew. The mission was the second overall crewed orbital flight of the Crew Dragon.
Expedition 65 was the 65th long duration expedition to the International Space Station. The mission began on 17 April 2021, with the departure of Soyuz MS-17, and was initially commanded by NASA astronaut Shannon Walker serving as the third female ISS commander, who launched in November 2020 aboard SpaceX Crew-1 alongside NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins and Victor J. Glover, as well as JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi. They were joined by the crew of Soyuz MS-18, which is made up of Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
The Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 was a repeat of Boeing's unsuccessful first Orbital Flight Test (OFT-1) of its Starliner spacecraft. The uncrewed mission was part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2, using Starliner Spacecraft 2, launched 19 May 2022 and lasted 6 days. Starliner successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on 21 May 2022. It stayed at the ISS for 4 days before undocking and landing in the White Sands Missile Range on 25 May 2022.
The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) provides commercially operated crew transportation service to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA, conducting crew rotations between the expeditions of the International Space Station program. American space manufacturer SpaceX began providing service in 2020, using the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and NASA plans to add Boeing when its Boeing Starliner spacecraft becomes operational no earlier than 2025. NASA has contracted for six operational missions from Boeing and fourteen from SpaceX, ensuring sufficient support for ISS through 2030.
Launch America is a public–private partnership between the United States and multiple space companies, closely related to the NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The term "Launch America" was used as early as May 2016. The initiative aims to end the NASA's reliance on the Russian space agency by developing launch systems that can carry crews to space from American soil.
Crew Dragon Resilience is a Crew Dragon spacecraft manufactured by SpaceX and built under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. In November 2020, it was launched into orbit to the International Space Station as part of the Crew-1 mission. With crew prompting, Resilience docked autonomously to the station at 04:01 UTC on 17 November 2020, or Day 2 of the mission, marking the first operational docking of a Crew Dragon and the first operational docking of the Commercial Crew Program. The mission carried four additional members of Expedition 64 to the three already on station.
Crew Dragon Endeavour is a Crew Dragon space capsule manufactured and operated by SpaceX and used by NASA's Commercial Crew Program. As of 2023 it has successfully completed four crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS). It was first launched into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket on 30 May 2020 and successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. This was the first crewed flight test of a Dragon capsule, carrying Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on first crewed orbital spaceflight from the United States since STS-135 in July 2011 and the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company. On 2 August 2020 it returned to Earth. The spacecraft was named by Hurley and Behnken after the Space ShuttleEndeavour, aboard which they first flew into space during the STS-127 and STS-123 missions, respectively. The name Endeavour is also shared by the command module of Apollo 15. The spacecraft's second mission, Crew-2, ended 8 November 2021 after having spent almost 200 days in orbit. Crew Dragon Endeavour set the record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crew vehicle previously set by her sibling Crew Dragon Resilience on 2 May 2021. Collectively, Endeavour has spent over 450 days in orbit the most time so far by a crewed spacecraft, surpassing Space Shuttle Discovery.
SpaceX Crew-3 was the Crew Dragon's third NASA Commercial Crew operational flight, and its fifth overall crewed orbital flight. The mission successfully launched on 11 November 2021 at 02:03:31 UTC to the International Space Station. It was the maiden flight of Crew Dragon Endurance.
SpaceX Crew-4 was the Crew Dragon's fourth NASA Commercial Crew operational flight, and its seventh overall crewed orbital flight. The mission launched on 27 April 2022 at 07:52 UTC before docking with the International Space Station (ISS) at 23:37 UTC. It followed shortly after the private Axiom 1 mission to the ISS earlier in the month utilizing SpaceX hardware. Three American (NASA) astronauts and one European (ESA) astronaut were on board the mission.
SpaceX CRS-26, also known as SpX-26, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 26 November 2022. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon. This was the sixth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
SpaceX Crew-5 was the fifth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the eighth overall crewed orbital flight. The mission was successfully launched on 5 October 2022 with the aim of transporting four crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS on 6 October 2022 at 21:01 UTC.
Mass: 12055 kg