A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience for NASA SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission are seen inside the SpaceX Hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 9, 2020, before rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The Crew Dragon capsule will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the space station for a six-month science mission.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2023, on the company’s 27th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 6,000 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the final two experiments comprising the National Institutes for Health and International Space Station National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative, Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
SpaceX rehearses helicopter landing and patient loading on its recovery ship, GO Searcher, practicing how the aircraft will pick up astronauts and fly them to a nearby hospital in the unlikely event of a medical emergency. The company outfitted the ship with a medical treatment facility and a helipad in the center of the vessel. When astronauts splash down into the ocean after their journey to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, NASA and SpaceX doctors will work together to evaluate the crew onboard the vessel. Should astronauts need to be airlifted to a hospital, the helicopter also will pick up paramedics and doctors from the ship who will care for the astronauts in-flight.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 in training at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California before their mission to the International Space Station. Andreas Mogensen poses for a portrait. Imagery provided by SpaceX
SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft is lifted aboard a recovery vessel after splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. The capsule, carrying cargo that flew aboard NASA’s SpaceX 23rd commercial resupply services mission, undocked from the International Space Station Thursday at approximately 9 a.m. The event marked the first time a Cargo Dragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. Cargo from the capsule was delivered to the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.
A reflection in the water shows NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket at Launch Pad 39A on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The spacecraft will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa to determine if there are conditions suitable for life beyond Earth. Launch is targeting 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon spacecraft rolls out to Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 19, 2021, in preparation for launch. The agency's 24th Commercial Resupply Services mission, targeted for liftoff on Dec. 21, 2021 at 5:06 a.m. EST, will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew on board the International Space Station.
jsc2025e015860 (March 7, 2025) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Pilot Nichole Ayers poses for a portrait in her pressure suit at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e011414 (Feb. 15, 2022) --- NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 Pilot Robert Hines, representing NASA's Commercial Crew Program, poses for a portrait at SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
During a tour of SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, commercial crew astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Doug Hurley participate in joint test team training using mockup components of the Crew Dragon on Feb. 23, 2017. Crew Dragon is being developed and manufactured in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.
jsc2023e045331 - NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 mission specialist Satoshi Furukawa is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2024e011735 (Oct. 12, 2023) --- The four crew members that comprise the SpaceX Crew-8 mission pose for a photo inside SpaceX Hangar X at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Hangar X supports Falcon 9 rocket refurbishment and houses administration offices. From left are, Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin, Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps. Credit: SpaceX
The SpaceX Crew Dragon trunk was secured to the spacecraft on Thursday, April 30, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in preparation for the Demo-2 launch with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Crew Dragon will carry Behnken and Hurley atop a Falcon 9 rocket, returning crew launches to the space station from U.S. soil for the first time since the Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011.
jsc2022e068614 (June 13, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Commander Nicole Aunapu Mann from NASA poses for a portrait in her Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2024e066392 (Sept. 26, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission Anne McClain trains during a simulation inside a mockup of a Dragon cockpit at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e065080 (Aug. 8, 2022) --- Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg from NASA of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission is pictured during a training session at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
From left, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, are photographed inside the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A during a visit to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 10, 2022. Cassada, Mann, and Wakata, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, will launch to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2022, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Samantha Cristoforetti stand inside the crew access arm at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A during a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022. Reflected and lit up in the background is NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission at Launch Complex 39B. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Crew Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, is targeted for liftoff no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from Pad 39A. The Crew-4 mission will carry the astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
SpaceX Crew-4 Liftoff
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites, launches from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. SPHEREx will use its telescope to provide an all-sky spectral survey, creating a 3D map of the entire sky to help scientists investigate the origins of our universe. PUNCH will study origins of the Sun’s outflow of material, or the solar wind, capturing continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) stands vertical at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 24, 2024. The GOES-U satellite is the final satellite in the GOES-R series, which serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:16 p.m. EDT. on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft sits atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket at Launch Pad 39A on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The spacecraft will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa to determine if there are conditions suitable for life beyond Earth. Launch is targeting 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The GOES-U satellite is the final satellite in the GOES-R series, which serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The astronauts for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission pose for a photo in front of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience by the crew, inside the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A on Nov. 8, 2020. From left, JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist; NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot. Crew-1 is the first crew rotation mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
jsc2022e068633 (June 27, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Mission Specialist Anna Kikina from Roscosmos poses for a portrait in her Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX performed its fourteenth overall parachute test supporting Crew Dragon development. This most recent exercise was the first of several planned parachute system qualification tests ahead of the spacecraft’s first crewed flight and resulted in the successful touchdown of Crew Dragon’s parachute system. During this test, a C-130 aircraft transported the parachute test vehicle, designed to achieve the maximum speeds that Crew Dragon could experience on re-entry, over the Mojave Desert in Southern California and dropped the vehicle from an altitude of 25,000 feet. The test demonstrated an off-nominal situation, deploying only one of the two drogue chutes and intentionally skipping a reefing stage on one of the four main parachutes, proving a safe landing in such a contingency scenario.
jsc2021e046405 (Oct. 9, 2021) --- The astronauts of SpaceX Crew-3 pose for a portrait in their suits during a training session. From left are, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron. Chari is Commander, Marshburn is the Pilot, and Barron and Maurer are both Mission Specialists. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2025e034094 (Sept. 25, 2024) --- From left to right, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui pose for a photo at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite secured inside its payload fairing, is rolled to Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Nov. 20, 2020, in preparation for launch. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will be followed by its twin, the Sentinel-6B satellite, in 2025. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is part of Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the world’s seas, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launched Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 PST (12:17 EST). NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center was responsible for launch management.
jsc2022e068656 (Aug. 13, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Mission Specialist Anna Kikina from Roscosmos is pictured during a training session in her Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the upgraded version of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft, is seen inside the company’s hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 2, 2020, prior to being rolled out to the launch pad in preparation for the 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) launch. The first launch for SpaceX under NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract, CRS-21 will deliver critical supplies, equipment, and material to support a variety of science and research investigations that will take place aboard the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:39 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 5, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
jsc2025e041086 (April 9, 2025) --- NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands in a vertical position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 21, in preparation for the 32nd commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. Dragon is delivering a variety of science experiments, including a demonstration of refined maneuvers for free-floating robots. Dragon also carries an enhanced air quality monitoring system that could protect crew members on exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and two atomic clocks to examine fundamental physics concepts such as relativity and test worldwide synchronization of precision timepieces.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) moves from the hangar to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 24, 2024. The GOES-U satellite is the final satellite in the GOES-R series, which serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:16 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25.
jsc2025e041084 (April 9, 2025) --- NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains inside a Dragon training crew spacecraft at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.
jsc2023e005760 (Jan. 30, 2023) --- Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre astronaut and SpaceX Crew-6 Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi is pictured during a Crew Dragon cockpit training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2021, to prepare for the upcoming Crew-3 launch. NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, wearing a SpaceX spacesuit, is inside the crew access arm leading to the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during the rehearsal. Marshburn’ s spacesuit is embroidered with his name and the American flag. The four-person crew will launch aboard the Crew Dragon atop the Falcon 9 on Oct. 31 to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 2:21 a.m. EDT from Pad 39A. Crew-3 is the third crew rotation flight to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and the first flight of a new Crew Dragon spacecraft.
jsc2024e005948 (Jan. 12, 2024) --- Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, participates in the Crew Equipment Interface Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to rehearse launch day activities and get a close look at the spacecraft that will take him to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 in training at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California before their mission to the International Space Station. Andreas Mogensen poses for a photo. Imagery provided by SpaceX
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, stands tall at sunrise at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in preparations for a launch to the International Space Station. Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply mission includes multiple science investigations, such as tests of a 3D metal printer, semiconductor manufacturing, and thermal protection systems for reentry to Earth to support the agency’s Expedition 70 crew. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:07p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
Blue sky and clouds serve as a backdrop for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft atop on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2023. SpaceX is scheduled to launch its 28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. Launch is scheduled for June 3 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver approximately 7,000 pounds of crew supplies, equipment, and science experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft attached to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, rolls to Launch Pad 39A on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The spacecraft will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa to determine if there are conditions suitable for life beyond Earth. NASA and SpaceX are targeting launch for Europa Clipper at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
jsc2023e066256 (Oct. 15, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-8 Pilot Michael Barratt participates in preflight mission training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2021e042706 (Aug. 30, 2021) --- NNASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari is pictured in his spacesuit during a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorns, California. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 5, 2022, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Inside Endurance are NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The crew is heading to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff occurred at noon EDT.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) illuminates the sky behind NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Launch Complex 39A on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The spacecraft will complete nearly 50 flybys of Europa to determine if there are conditions suitable for life beyond Earth.
jsc2023e005744 (Jan. 30, 2023) --- A SpaceX launch and entry suit bears an American flag, and the name of NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, who will serve as the commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
Tim Dunn, senior launch director for NASA’s Launch Services Program, participates in rehearsal launch operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) mission inside Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 17, 2024. The GOES-U satellite, the final addition to GOES-R series, serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
jsc2024e052323 (July 22, 2024) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Commander Zena Cardman smiles as she gets better acquainted with the Dragon spacecraft, which will take them to the International Space Station no earlier than mid-August. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, is vertical at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 1, 2022, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Endurance will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022.
A successful liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, heads to the International Space Station for the 20th Northrop Grumman resupply mission on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. The spacecraft is expected to reach the space station Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, bringing 8,200 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft stands tall atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Liftoff of Psyche is targeted for 10:19 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 13. The mission will explore an asteroid that scientists hope will help solve mysteries of our solar system for the benefit of humanity. This includes, for the first time, examining a world dominantly made not of rock or ice, but of metal, to answer fundamental questions about Earth’s own metal core and the formation of our solar system. Psyche also will carry a technology demonstration – NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment – that will test a next-generation way to communicate from space.
A SpaceX launch and entry suit bears a Japanese flag, and the name of JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata – a crewmember of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the company’s upgraded version of the Dragon spacecraft, stands vertical at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The first mission for SpaceX under NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract, CRS-21 is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 11:39 a.m. EST. The mission will deliver critical supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
jsc2025e034093 (Dec. 5, 2024) --- Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, trains for his mission at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California.
jsc2023e005734 (Jan. 30, 2023) --- Astronaut Warren "Woody" Hoburg of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX Crew-6 Pilot, is pictured in his pressure suit during a crew equipment integration test at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 crew traveled to SpaceX facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to train for their mission to the International Space Station. Imagery provided by SpaceX.
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, wave as they participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, to prepare for the upcoming Crew-8 launch to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program from Launch Complex 39A is targeted for 12:04 a.m. on Friday, March 1.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites, is vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 East from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday March 8, 2025. SPHEREx will use its telescope to provide an all-sky spectral survey, creating a 3D map of the entire sky to help scientists investigate the origins of our universe. PUNCH will study origins of the Sun’s outflow of material, or the solar wind, capturing continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system.
jsc2023e066249 (Oct. 15, 2023) --- SpaceX Crew-8 crew members (from left) Michael Barratt from NASA, Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos, and Matthew Dominick from NASA, are pictured during a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2024e011711 (Dec. 3, 2023) --- SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps of NASA's Commercial Crew Program poses for a portrait in her pressure suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. After launch, the spacecraft plans to fly by Mars in February 2025, then back by Earth in December 2026, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. With help of these “gravity assists,” Europa Clipper will achieve the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in April 2030.
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, stands tall at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in preparation for a launch to the International Space Station. Cygnus will deliver 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the international crew.
jsc2022e076175 (Oct. 5, 2022) --- (From left) SpaceX Crew-5 Pilot Josh Cassada and Commander Nicole Mann, both NASA astronauts, are pictured walking on the crew access arm toward the Dragon Endurance crew ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida.
In view here is a closeup of SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft, sitting atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 1, 2022, as the Sun begins to rise. Endurance will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite secured inside its payload fairing, is lifted to vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Nov. 20, 2020. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will be followed by its twin, the Sentinel-6B satellite, in 2025. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is part of Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the world’s seas, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launched Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 PST (12:17 EST). NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center was responsible for launch management.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage separates from the Dragon spacecraft a few minutes after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2023, on the company’s 27th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 6,000 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the final two experiments comprising the National Institutes for Health and International Space Station National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative, Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft stands tall atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Liftoff of Psyche is targeted for 10:19 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 13. The mission will explore an asteroid that scientists hope will help solve mysteries of our solar system for the benefit of humanity. This includes, for the first time, examining a world dominantly made not of rock or ice, but of metal, to answer fundamental questions about Earth’s own metal core and the formation of our solar system. Psyche also will carry a technology demonstration – NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment – that will test a next-generation way to communicate from space.
Bob Behnken - Individual portrait photos of SpaceX Crew Flight Test (Demo-2) crew & backup crews.
jsc2024e005960 (Jan. 12, 2024) --- Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin participates in a training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida before he launches to the International Space Station as mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission in February 2024. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e068618 (Dec. 9, 2021) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Mission Specialist Anna Kikina from Roscosmos is pictured during a Crew Dragon cockpit training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e003355 (Dec. 1, 2021) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “Bob” Hines; and NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins.
jsc2024e064443 - Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission Kirill Peskov is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e068645 (Aug. 17, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Pilot Josh Cassada of NASA is pictured during a Crew Dragon cockpit training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2024e064446 (Sept. 30, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission Anne McClain smiles during training inside a mockup of a Dragon cockpit at the company's facilities in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2024e024937 (March 1, 2024) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members Commander Zena Cardman and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson focus closely on their training, which shows them how to ensure proper weight and balance across the Dragon spacecraft prior to departure and entry. Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft encapsulated atop is raised to a vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. PACE is NASA’s newest earth-observing satellite that will help increase our understanding of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and climate by delivering hyperspectral observations of microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton as well new data on clouds and aerosols. Liftoff of the PACE mission is set for no earlier than 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
From left, Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, and NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada will fly aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission. The crew will lift off aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket – from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. This marks the fifth crew rotation mission of the company’s human space transportation system, and its sixth flight with astronauts, to the space station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken familiarize themselves with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft that will transport them to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Their upcoming flight test is known as Demo-2, short for Demonstration Mission 2. The Crew Dragon will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In March 2019, SpaceX completed an uncrewed flight test of Crew Dragon known as Demo-1, which was designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, bringing NASA closer to certification of SpaceX systems to fly a crew.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2021, to prepare for the upcoming Crew-3 launch. Matthias Maurer, with the European Space Agency (ESA), is inside the crew access arm leading to the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during the rehearsal. Maurer’s SpaceX spacesuit is embroidered with the ESA and SpaceX emblems. The four-person crew will launch aboard the Crew Dragon atop the Falcon 9 on Oct. 31 to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 2:21 a.m. EDT from Pad 39A. Crew-3 is the third crew rotation flight to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and the first flight of a new Crew Dragon spacecraft.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience for NASA SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission are seen inside the SpaceX Hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 9, 2020, before rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The Crew Dragon capsule will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the space station for a six-month science mission.
Seen here is a up-close view of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket in the vertical position at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2023, in preparation for the 27th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the final two experiments comprising the National Institutes for Health and International Space Station National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative, Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 14, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts participate in crew equipment interface testing at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, on Sept. 24, 2020. From left are mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut, and pilot Victor Glover, NASA astronaut. The other crew members training, but not pictured, are mission specialist Shannon Walker, and Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, both NASA astronauts. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotational flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station. The Crew-1 mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew-1 is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which has returned human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission arrives at SpaceX’s hangar at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, after a short journey from a nearby processing facility. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 2:05 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
jsc2022e065066 (March 24, 2022) --- The four crew members that comprise the SpaceX Crew-6 mission are seated inside the SpaceX Dragon crew ship during a training session at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Seated from left in their spacesuits are, Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alnedayi. Credit: SpaceX
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft stands tall atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Liftoff of the mission to the asteroid Psyche is targeted for 10:16 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 12. The spacecraft also is hosting a technology demonstration, NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which will be the first test of laser communications beyond the Moon. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is responsible for the insight and approval of the launch vehicle and manages the launch service for the Psyche mission.
jsc2024e011722 (Dec. 3, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-8 Pilot Michael Barratt is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e016921 (March 21, 2022) --- Astronaut Kjell Lindgren of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX Crew-4 Commander, poses for a portrait in his pressure suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
In preparation for SpaceX’s 29th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station for NASA, the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, is raised to a vertical position at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. The mission will carry scientific research, technology demonstrations, crew supplies, and hardware to the space station to support its Expedition 70 crew, including NASA’s Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) and Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE). Liftoff is scheduled for 8:28 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 9, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
jsc2022e003357 (Dec. 1, 2021) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “Bob” Hines; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren; and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy.
Mike Hopkins - Individual portrait photos of SpaceX Crew Flight Test (Demo-2) crew & backup crews.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites, is vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 East from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday March 8, 2025. SPHEREx will use its telescope to provide an all-sky spectral survey, creating a 3D map of the entire sky to help scientists investigate the origins of our universe. PUNCH will study origins of the Sun’s outflow of material, or the solar wind, capturing continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts are secured in their seats inside the Dragon spacecraft Endeavour. From left are Andrey Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist; NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot; NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander; and Sultan Alneyadi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut and mission specialist. The Crew-6 astronauts will launch to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Launch was targeted for 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A, but was scrubbed for the day. Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The interior structure of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft at the company's facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
jsc2023e050367 (Aug. 10, 2023) --- Crew-8 poses for a group photo after completing its first full week of training at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. From left, are Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin from Roscosmos, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all from NASA. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e068643 (Aug. 17, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Pilot Josh Cassada of NASA is pictured during a Crew Dragon cockpit training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX
The crew members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission pose for a photo with members of the SpaceX workforce during a sendoff at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California ahead of their mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
jsc2022e003327 (Dec. 15, 2021) --- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. From left to right: NASA astronaut and Crew-4 pilot Bob Hines, and NASA astronaut and Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren.
Coleen Taylor, deputy chief Safety and Mission Assurance officer for NASA’s Launch Services Program, participates in rehearsal launch operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) mission inside Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 17, 2024. The GOES-U satellite, the final addition to GOES-R series, serves a critical role in providing continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere, including monitoring tropical systems in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
jsc2022e068615 (June 13, 2022) --- SpaceX Crew-5 Commander Nicole Aunapu Mann from NASA poses for a portrait in her Crew Dragon flight suit at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX