A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Fram2 astronaut mission
from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew is mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips.
"The quartet will circle our planet over both of its poles — a trajectory no human spaceflight mission has ever taken before," according to Space.com
Credit: SpaceX
from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew is mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips.
"The quartet will circle our planet over both of its poles — a trajectory no human spaceflight mission has ever taken before," according to Space.com
Credit: SpaceX
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00T-minus 15 seconds.
00:0710, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
00:20Ignition and liftoff.
00:24Stage 1 Alpha.
00:30Copy, 1 Alpha.
00:32Fuselage pitching downrange.
00:35Stage 1 propulsion is nominal.
00:54T-plus 35 seconds into the Fram 2 mission.
00:58The first ever human spaceflight mission to cover the poles.
01:06And we are throttling down the engines on the first stage.
01:10On the first stage vehicle form.
01:12Stage 1 throttle down.
01:15Oh, it's perfect timing with these callouts.
01:17We throttle down the engines for max Q, and there's max Q.
01:21It's the maximum dynamic pressure that the vehicle sees on ascent.
01:26Confirmation, we're supersonic.
01:29We're preparing to throttle back up on first stage Merlin engines.
01:34Stage 1 throttle up.
01:36Confirmation, we're back up on power on the 9 Merlin 1D engines.
01:40Stage 1 Bravo.
01:431 Bravo called out by the crew.
01:45That means if there was a need for an abort with the first stage now emptying itself of propellant,
01:50Dragon would apply a different profile than if, say, right off the pad we had initiated.
01:56Waiting for the MVAC-D chill call.
02:01MVAC chill is underway.
02:04We're beginning to chill the second stage engine in preparation for its ignition.
02:09Coming up in less than a minute from now.
02:13We also have a few events that are going to happen back to back.
02:17We'll have MECO stage separation and second stage engine ignition.
02:22MECO is main engine cutoff.
02:24That's where we will shut down all of those 9 engines which you're seeing there on the first stage vehicle.
02:30Stage 1 throttle down.
02:32And we've got a live view of the crew on the vehicle at this moment, which is really cool.
02:41And we will have MECO stage separation and MVAC ignition in just about 10 seconds from now.
02:50We're beginning to throttle down the Merlin engines in preparation for main engine cutoff.
02:56View on the left looking up at the second stage engine nozzle.
02:59MECO.
03:01Stage separation confirmed.
03:03Stage 2.
03:06Copy stage 2.
03:08And there we just saw MECO stage separation.
03:22The MVAC engine has ignited.
03:24And we've also started the boost back burn on the first stage, which you can see there on your left-hand screen.
03:31Anna and Sarah, those were a lot of dynamic events that just happened right now that the From2 crew is experiencing.
03:38But you guys also got to experience that.
03:41Yes.
03:42I remember now we're in stage 2.
03:44And I remember that slow buildup of G-forces during this stage.
03:47The first stage, the G-forces come on fast.
03:50But the second stage, they're a bit slower.
03:52And so right now, you're starting to feel it come on faster and faster.
03:56And you feel that pressure into your chest.
03:58You feel yourself being pressed into your seat.
04:00Harder to move your hands up.
04:02It's an exciting ride.
04:04And you see the minutes counting by until the moment that you know you'll be in space.
04:10Yeah, you're right.
04:11Dragon SpaceX, trajectory nominal.
04:14Good call-out from guidance navigation control officer.
04:17Trajectory is nominal for the crew.
04:19Dragon, copy.
04:22And commander copies that call-out.
04:25But, yeah, you had a good point.
04:27We talked earlier, the second stage engine is over 200,000 pounds of thrust.
04:31There's more than 200,000 pounds of propellant.
04:33So when it first lights, it's not accelerating very rapidly.
04:37But, Sarah, what's it like when you get near the end of the burn?
04:41We heard Bob and Doug back on Crew Demo 2 call it like driving down a gravelly, bumpy road in ice tea.
04:48It's definitely more, maybe a little more vibration than first stage because the engine is so much closer to the spacecraft.
04:55So you absolutely feel a difference in the sensations you experience when you're riding on the second stage.
05:01Cool.
05:04I'm sure the From 2 crew is feeling something similar.
05:08They're still inside of Dragon, which is still attached to the second stage.
05:12And on your left-hand screen.
05:13Dragon SpaceX, trajectory nominal.
05:16On the left-hand of your screen, you can see a view of the ENVAC engine ignited.
05:19Dragon, copy, nominal.
05:23But coming up in a couple of minutes, we'll have the entry burn on the first stage, which is currently making its way back down to Earth.
05:33And we did perform a boostback burn on this one.
05:36Yeah, we did.
05:37We did a one-engine boostback burn.
05:39We didn't have normally when you launch to the east or northeast in a crew mission, you take advantage of the Earth's rotational velocity.
05:47But in this case, we're pretty much going straight south.
05:49And so you don't get that eastward velocity.
05:52So the first stage needed to use a little more propellant to get the crew up into the right position for stage separation.
05:59So we can't bring the first stage all the way back to land like we might do on an ISS mission.
06:06So instead, we're going to land on the drone ship, but not as far south as we would normally do.
06:11Dragon SpaceX, trajectory nominal.
06:13Something like a starlight mission.
06:15Another nominal trajectory.
06:17Dragon, copy, nominal.
06:19And the crew recites it back.
06:21We've got good comms with the crew.
06:23But, yeah, Jesse, to your point, we are coming up on the second part of the return of the first stage.
06:31And that's going to be the entry burn.
06:34First stage will start the center engine and then light two additional engines.
06:39We should see that coming up right now in about seven seconds.
06:48While the crew continuing to head to space.
06:58During this time, we would continue to monitor the altitude as the vehicle kept rising and rising.
07:06Yeah, you've got the displays there where you guys can monitor that during the launch.
07:12Dragon SpaceX, trajectory nominal.
07:15We did see on the left-hand screen that the entry burn has begun.
07:18Dragon, copy, nominal.
07:20Entry burn did complete.
07:24We didn't hear any call-outs, but we do have a green screen here.
07:28We have a good entry burn.
07:30Second stage continuing to head towards the separation orbit.
07:34First stage heading to the drone ship.
07:37Stage two FTS has saved.
07:40We are expecting the landing burn on the first stage to occur in about 20 seconds from now.
07:45That'll just be a single engine burn on the vehicle.
07:49Once again, the M1D engines have about 190,000 pounds of thrust,
07:54which is just enough to slow the vehicle down just in time for landing.
07:59Copy Panama.
08:02Another abort call-out on the second stage.
08:05You're on a space station.
08:06You hear it called Shannon.
08:08It tells you where you can reach if there's a problem right now.
08:18And we've now got video on first stage.
08:21Landing burn has begun.
08:25And a view from the drone ship.
08:30Legs are deployed.
08:35And touchdown after six flights.
08:45And the booster that has taken the from to crew onto space has now made it back to Earth.
08:51Jesse, we just heard the call-out.
08:53I don't know if you hear it in the capsule on your flight, but we heard the terminal guidance call.
08:57We've essentially reached the altitude.
08:59Now we'll work in the angular momentum of the orbit.
09:01So we're going to listen in.
09:03We're just seconds away from shutdown.
09:05And about less than a minute after that, we should have dragon separation from the second stage.
09:22And back shutdown.
09:37And great news there.
09:38We heard the call-out for nominal orbital.
09:44Launch escape system disarmed.
09:47Another good call-out.
09:48They're in orbit where they want to be.
09:50They've disarmed launch escape system.
09:51Doesn't need it anymore.
09:53We're 191 kilometers up.
09:55We've got the view of the crew.
10:00Right now, the second stage is going through a very short period.
10:06We're making sure that we're pointed in the right direction.
10:09We've got the engine shut down, purging gas.
10:12And it's separation.
10:23Bomb 2 crew is flying on its own on Dragon.
10:26Dragon, on behalf of the Falcon team, we're honored to deliver you safely to your polar orbit.
10:31Enjoy the views of the poles.
10:33Send us some pictures.
10:34And our hearts and minds will be flying with you as you go over the poles.
10:38Have a great flight.
10:41And Dragon, this is your launch director here.
10:44Pretty wild to see the Fromm Adventure sailing to the poles once again,
10:49over 130 years from its christening.
10:53This time, though, with Starlink.
10:55Godspeed, Fromm 2.
10:56Cheers.
11:00Cheers.
11:08SpaceX team calling up to Dragon.
11:15What you're seeing right now are the shots of Dragon.
11:18That was the Draco thruster checkout.
11:22And there's the crew.
11:24And I think Jesse, Anna, Sarah, right next to one of the small crew windows,
11:29that's probably their zero G indicator, as we call it.
11:33I can't quite make it out.
11:34Dragon SpaceX nominal dehumidifier activation and service section Draco checkouts.