NASA Sets Coverage for Agency's SpaceX Crew-8 Launch, Docking

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency's SpaceX Crew-8 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

The launch is targeted for 12:04 a.m. EST, Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The targeted docking time is about 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 2.

Crew arrival will be available on Kennedy's streaming channels including YouTube and X. Coverage of launch, the postlaunch news conference, and docking will be available on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency's website. NASA also will host an audio-only post-Flight Readiness Review news teleconference. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

The Crew-8 launch will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.

As part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, the mission marks the eighth crew rotation mission and the ninth human spaceflight mission for NASA to the space station supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft since 2020. Endeavour is the name of this Dragon spacecraft.

The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency's media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: [email protected].

NASA's mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Sunday, Feb. 25:
2 p.m. – Crew arrival media event at Kennedy streaming on the center's social accounts with the following participants:

• Jennifer Kunz, associate director, technical, NASA Kennedy
• Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
• NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick
• NASA astronaut Michael Barratt
• NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps
• Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin

The event is limited to in-person media only. Follow Commercial Crew and Kennedy Space Center for the latest arrival updates.

6 p.m. (approximately) – Flight Readiness Review media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Flight Readiness Review) with the following participants:

• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
• William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
• Eric van der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA (European Space Agency)
• Takayoshi Nishikawa, director, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Houston Office

Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at: [email protected].

Wednesday, Feb. 28:
9:15 a.m. – NASA Social panel live stream event at Kennedy with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Carla Koch, mission manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy
• Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
• Kristin Fabre, deputy chief scientist, Human Research Program, NASA Johnson

Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, Facebook, and X livestreams using #AskNASA.

10:30 a.m. – NASA Administrator briefing from Kennedy with the following participants:

• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program
• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program

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, media should  contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, at [email protected].

12:30 p.m. – One-on-one media interviews at Kennedy with various mission subject matter experts. Sign-up information will be emailed to media accredited to attend this launch in person.

Thursday, Feb. 29:
8 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins

Friday, March 1:
12:04 a.m. – Launch

Following conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA coverage will continue with audio only, with full coverage resuming at the start of the rendezvous and docking broadcast. The audio link and details will be available nearer to the mission.

NASA Television will resume continuous mission coverage prior to docking and continue through hatch open and the welcome ceremony. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/

2 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV

• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program
• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program
• Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

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 12 a.m. Friday, March 1, at [email protected].

Saturday, March 2:
5 a.m. – NASA TV arrival coverage begins (or about two hours prior to docking)

7 a.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station's Harmony module

Hatch opening will be approximately one-hour-and-forty-five minutes after docking followed by welcome remarks aboard station. All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

Audio Only Coverage
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 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System's VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club's UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-8 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA TV, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it here:
http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom.

NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission will be available on the agency's website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. Feb. 29, 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 the commercial crew or Crew-8 blog.

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 X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew8 and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX

Coverage en Espanol
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-8.

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; [email protected]; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; [email protected].

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 to 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:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA