Florida – NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission lifted off at 6:03pm CT from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are experiencing 2g while SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket go through a rapid succession of events.
It will take about 28.5 hours for the spacecraft to autonomously dock to the space station at 10:30pm CT Saturday, March 15th, while traveling 17,000 mph orbiting the Earth.
Coming up next, the nine Merlin engines on Falcon 9’s first stage will burn through one million pounds of propellant during the next three minutes.
Live coverage of the Crew-10 broadcast is airing on NASA+. Learn how to watch? NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
NASA will continue providing updates about the launch on the mission blog, @commercial crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook.
Max-Q Reached, First Stage Main Engine Cutoff
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has reached Max-Q, the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket.
The first and second stages have separated.
Next, the rocket’s first stage booster is scheduled to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Falcon 9 Booster Lands Successfully
The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has completed its descent and landed at the company’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Spacecraft Flying Solo
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9’s second stage and is flying on its own. The spacecraft is traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 kilometers per hour). In less than a minute, the Dragon nosecone open sequence will begin.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Reaches Orbit
NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander and Nichole Ayers, pilot, mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, and their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft have reached orbit, and the nosecone has opened.
The crew will spend roughly the next 28.5 hours to rendezvous and dock to the International Space Station.
Upon reaching the orbiting laboratory, the newly arrived crew will join NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9, who will familiarize them with ongoing science and station maintenance work, which supports a safe transition of operations aboard the space station. Following a brief handover and pending weather conditions, Crew-9 NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will board a SpaceX spacecraft, undock from station, and splashdown off the coast of Florida.
NASA will air the postlaunch news conference on NASA+. Learn ?how to watch ?NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
