Spacex Falcon 9 and Dragon sequence of events

Spacex Falcon 9 and Dragon sequence of events

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket (9 engines) and Crew Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Timeline Crew 6:

  • First attempt: 27-02-2023
  • Second attempt Day 1: 01-03-2023
  • Day 2: 02-03-2023
  • Day 3: 03-03-2023

Day 1 (first attempt)

SpaceX scrubbed the first launch attempt Feb. 27 a little more than two minutes before the scheduled 1:45 a.m. Eastern liftoff after reporting an issue with the flow of triethylaluminum triethylborane (TEA-TEB), a chemical combination used to ignite the rocket’s engines.

“At the end of the day, we couldn’t be absolutely sure that we had enough TEA-TEB, enough of this ignition fluid, bled up to the interface of the rocket to make sure that we would get that consistent, exactly timed ignition that we need across all nine engines, so we scrubbed the launch,” said Benji Reed, senior director of human spaceflight programs at SpaceX, at a post-launch briefing.

Day 1 (second attempt)

The launch took place on this second attempt.

07:04:57 p.m. EST: Chief engineer launch readiness briefing
07:34:57 p.m. EST: Launch shift arrives in Firing Room 4
07:34:57 p.m. EST: Dragon IMU align/configure for launch
08:04:57 p.m. EST: Dragon prop pressurization
08:09:57 p.m. EST: Dragon launch escape system health checks
08:16:57 p.m. EST: Crew weather brief
08:26:57 p.m. EST: Crew handoff to SpaceX
08:34:57 p.m. EST: Suit donning and checkouts
08:34:57 p.m. EST: Readiness poll for advance team to enter Blast Danger Area
08:39:57 p.m. EST: Advance team travels to pad 39A
08:44:57 p.m. EST: ISS state vector uploaded to Dragon
08:45:00 p.m. EST: NASA TV coverage begins
09:14:14 p.m. EST: Crew walkout from Neil Armstrong O&C Building
09:19:14 p.m. EST: Crew departs for pad 39A in Tesla Model Xs
09:39:14 p.m. EST: Crew arrives at pad 39A
09:59:14 p.m. EST: Astronauts ingress into Crew Dragon
10:14:14 p.m. EST: Crew communications checks
10:17:14 p.m. EST: Verify ready for seat rotation
10:18:14 p.m. EST: Suit leak checks
10:39:14 p.m. EST: Hatch closed for flight
10:44:14 p.m. EST: Dragon leak checks
11:49:14 p.m. EST: SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load
11:52:14 p.m. EST: Crew access arm retracts
11:56:14 p.m. EST: Launch escape system armed
11:59:14 p.m. EST: 1st and 2nd stage RP-1 fuel load begins; 1st stage LOX load begins

Day 2

12:14:44 a.m. EST: 2nd stage RP-1 tank full
12:17:44 a.m. EST: 2nd stage LOX load begins
12:24:14 a.m. EST: Final pre-launch communications check
12:27:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage engine chill begins
12:28:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage RP-1 tank full
12:29:14 a.m. EST: Dragon transitions to internal power
12:29:44 a.m. EST: Strongback retraction begins
12:30:34 a.m. EST: Autonomous Flight Termination System final setup
12:31:09 a.m. EST: M-Vac engine igniter purge
12:31:14 a.m. EST: 1st stage LOX tank full; Strongback at ~1.7 degrees
12:32:14 a.m. EST: 2nd stage LOX tank full
12:33:14 a.m. EST: Flight computer starts final pre-flight checks; F9 prop tanks pressurize
12:33:29 a.m. EST: SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
12:34:11 a.m. EST: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence

12:34:14 a.m. EST: Liftoff

12:34:14 a.m. EST: Stage 1a abort mode
12:34:24 a.m. EST: Pitch kick
12:35:07 a.m. EST: Stage 1 throttle bucket
12:35:16 a.m. EST: Max-Q
12:35:23 a.m. EST: Mach 1
12:35:29 a.m. EST: Stage 1b abort mode
12:36:48 a.m. EST: Stage 2a abort mode
12:36:48 a.m. EST: MECO; 1st stage engines cut off
12:36:52 a.m. EST: Stage separation
12:36:59 a.m. EST: 2nd stage’s M-Vac engine ignites
12:38:34 a.m. EST: Bermuda ground station acquires F9 and Dragon signals
12:41:36 a.m. EST: 1st stage entry burn

12:43:01 a.m. EST: SECO-1; 2nd stage M-Vac engine shuts down; Orbit insertion

12:43:13 a.m. EST: 1st stage landing burn
12:43:40 a.m. EST: 1st stage landing on droneship
12:46:11 a.m. EST: Dragon separates from 2nd stage; Begin Draco thruster checkouts
12:46:59 a.m. EST: Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
01:20:11 a.m. EST: Phase burn using Draco thrusters
02:30:00 a.m. EST: Post-launch news conference on NASA TV
10:24:13 a.m. EST: Boost burn using Draco thrusters
11:06:25 a.m. EST: Close burn using Draco thrusters
07:04:31 p.m. EST: Transfer burn using Draco thrusters
07:51:02 p.m. EST: Coelliptic burn using Draco thrusters
10:11:00 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 30 kilometers from ISS
11:02:00 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 15 kilometers from ISS
11:16:00 p.m. EST: Go/no go decision for approach initiation burn
11:19:00 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 10 kilometers from ISS
11:41:00 p.m. EST: Approach initiation burn; Crew Dragon range 7.5 kilometers from ISS
11:47:00 p.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 6 kilometers from ISS

Day 3

12:06:00 a.m. EST: Approach initiation midcourse burn
12:13:00 a.m. EST: Crew Dragon range 1 kilometer from ISS
12:22:00 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision to enter ISS keep out sphere (a 200-m zone around ISS)
12:26:00 a.m. EST: Waypoint Zero arrival (400 meters below ISS)
12:40:00 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision to approach Waypoint 2
01:00:00 a.m. EST: Docking axis/Waypoint 1 arrival (220 meters above ISS)
01:10:00 a.m. EST: Go/no go decision for docking
01:11:00 a.m. EST: Waypoint 2 arrival and hold (20 meters from ISS)
01:12:00 a.m. EST: Resume approach from Waypoint 2 (20 meters from ISS)

01:17:00 a.m. EST: Contact and capture at IDA-3 on zenith port of the Harmony module

01:30:00 a.m. EST: Docking sequence complete; All hooks closed; Power umbilicals mated
01:52:00 a.m. EST: Leak checks begin between Crew Dragon and ISS
02:17:00 a.m. EST: Leak checks complete; Vestibule pressurization
03:02:00 a.m. EST: Hatch opening; Crew-6 astronauts enter ISS (26,5 hours after launch)

Launch SpaceX Crew 6 to ISS with Falcon 9 and Dragon
Launch SpaceX Crew 6 to ISS with Falcon 9 and Dragon

Issues

  • 02-03-2023 When crew 6 docked at the ISS, there were problems with one of the twelve hooks.

Footnote