Soon we’ll find if NASA and SpaceX are ready to send the astronauts into orbit. The crewed mission will be SpaceX’s first, while for NASA, it will be the first time in almost ten years.
Currently, NASA’s review of SpaceX’s launch goes into overtime. Here are the latest details.
NASA Will Announce the Last Review of SpaceX’s First Crewed Launch Mission Soon
The meeting, also known as FRR (Flight Readiness Review), to determine if SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is ready to carry two NASA astronauts to the ISS next week went into overtime. Officials are not expected to release any statements yet.
The latest update from NASA announced: “We still have a few topics remaining for discussion during the FRR and will continue those on Friday (May 22).”
NASA initially wanted to end the FRR meeting today and at 6 PM EDT (20.00 GMT) to hold a press conference. That briefing is now planned for one hour after the FRR meeting ends tomorrow. SpaceX’s Demo-2 test flight will send NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS from Launch Pad 39A of NASA’s historic Kennedy Space Center, on May 27, at 4:33 PM EDT (20:33 GMT).
During an FRR, program and mission managers for SpaceX, NASA, and the ISS review the details of a next mission to make sure a spacecraft and rocket are ready to launch. NASA has not assembled an FRR for a crew liftoff from US soil since the agency’s final space flight in July 2011.
In addition to the FRR meeting this Friday (May 22), Demo-2 astronauts will organize a “digital media engagement” to welcome the press in a teleconference from their Astronaut Crew Quarters. That press conference will start at 2:15 PM (18:15 GMT). SpaceX is awaited now to test-fire the first-phase rocket engines of the Falcon 9 that will send the astronauts into orbit.
