NASA Prepares for Launch of SpaceX Crew-4 Mission to the International Space Station

launch is targeted for 5:26 a.m. EDT April 23

(NASA) – NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission sending astronauts to the International Space Station is targeted for 5:26 a.m. EDT Saturday, April 23, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, dubbed by Crew-4 as Freedom, is scheduled to dock at the space station at 6 a.m. Sunday, April 24.

The Crew-4 flight will carry Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, all of NASA, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), to the space station for a science expedition in microgravity.

The mission is the fourth crew rotation to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket and the fifth SpaceX flight with NASA astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight in 2020 to the space station, as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Friday, April 15

5 p.m. (approximately) – Flight readiness review media teleconference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the review) with the following participants:

■ Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

■ Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy

■ Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston

■ Zeb Scoville, flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson

■ Jared Metter, director, Flight Reliability, SpaceX

■ Frank De Winne, program manager, International Space Station, ESA

Media may ask questions via phone only. The teleconference audio will stream on nasa.gov/live. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m. Friday, April 15, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Monday, April 18

12:30 p.m. (approximately) – Crew arrival media event at Kennedy on the NASA Television Media Channel with the following participants (limited to previously confirmed in-person media only):

■ Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

■ Janet Petro, director, Kennedy Space Center

■ Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA

■ NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren

■ NASA astronaut Bob Hines

■ NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins

■ ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

No teleconference option is available for this event.

Tuesday, April 19

6:30 a.m. – Virtual crew media engagement at Kennedy with Crew-4 astronauts on NASA Television:

■ NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren

■ NASA astronaut Bob Hines

■ NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins

■ ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

The media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour prior to the start of the event at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Thursday, April 21

9:30 p.m. (approximately) – Prelaunch news teleconference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the launch readiness review) with the following participants:

■ Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy

■ Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson

■ Zeb Scoville, flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, Johnson

■ Jessica Jensen, vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX

■ Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA

■ Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron

The media may ask questions via phone only. The teleconference audio will stream on nasa.gov/live. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 8:30 p.m. on April 21 at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Friday, April 22

10 a.m. – NASA Administrator Media Briefing on NASA Television with the following participants:

■ NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

■ NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana

■ Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

■ Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson

■ Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA

Saturday, April 23

1:45 a.m. – NASA Television launch commentary coverage begins

5:26 a.m. – Launch

7 a.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA Television

Sunday, April 24

6 a.m.– Docking

7:50 a.m. – Hatch Opening

8:15 a.m. – Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station with the following participants:

■ Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

■ Josef Aschbacher, director general, ESA

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