NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test: Atlas V Fueling Underway
Following a poll for fueling by NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance, the Atlas V rocket now is being filled with liquid oxygen in the first stage and a combination of liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the Centaur upper stage. RP-1, a rocket-grade kerosene, was loaded into the first stage previously. The rocket will launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the Starliner spacecraft at 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station.
The U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron continues to predict a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concern.
NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA will provide live coverage of the launch, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on May 6, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
L-6:00:00 Atlas V cryo load
L-4:00:00 Atlas V cryo load complete / stable configuration
L-4:30:00 Crew suit-up begins
L-4:04:00 T-4 minute hold begins
L-3:20:00 Crew suit-up complete / departs for launch pad
L-3:10:00 Crew Module preps begin
L-2:50:00 Crew arrives for insertion
L-1:20:00 Hatch closure complete
L-0:50:00 Cabin leak checks / cabin pressurization complete
L-0:35:00 Crew space to ground communication checks
L-0:22:00 Flight Director Poll: Go for terminal count
L-0:20:00 Crew visors configured for launch
L-0:18:00 Starliner poll for terminal count
L-0:18:00 Starliner to internal power
L-0:11:00 Crew access arm retracted
L-0:07:00 Atlas V launch vehicle poll for terminal count
L-0:07:00 Starliner configured for terminal count
L-0:05:00 Starliner configured for ascent
L-0:04:00 T-4 minute hold releases
L-0:00:00 Atlas V / Starliner crew launch
The astronauts will spend about a week aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.
After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56 meters) and the capability to steer automatically or manually, will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.
Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.
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Elyna Niles-Carnes
