SpaceX Crew-1

SpaceX Crew-1 [6][7] (was also known as USCV-1 or simply Crew-1)[8] was the first operational[lower-alpha 2] crewed flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. It was also the second crewed orbital flight launch by the United States since that of STS-135 in July 2011. Resilience launched on 16 November 2020 at 00:27:17 UTC[9][lower-alpha 3] on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, all members of the Expedition 64 crew.[10][11] The mission was the second overall crewed orbital flight of the Crew Dragon.[12]

Not to be confused with Crew Dragon Demo-1 or Crew Dragon Demo-2.

SpaceX Crew-1
Resilience docked to the International Space Station.
NamesUSCV-1 (2012–2019)
Crew-1
Mission typeISS crew transport
OperatorSpaceX
COSPAR ID2020-084A
SATCAT no.46920Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration167 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon Resilience
BusSpaceX Dragon 2
ManufacturerSpaceX
Launch mass12,519 kg (27,600 lb)
Landing mass9,616 kg (21,200 lb)
Crew
Crew size4
Members
ExpeditionExpedition 64 / 65
Start of mission
Launch date16 November 2020,
00:27:17 UTC[1]
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5 (B1061.1)
Launch siteKennedy Space Center, LC-39A
ContractorSpaceX
End of mission
Recovered byGO Navigator
Landing date2 May 2021, 06:56:33 UTC
Landing siteGulf of Mexico
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portHarmony forward
Docking date17 November 2020, 04:01 UTC [2]
Undocking date5 April 2021, 10:30 UTC
Time docked139 days
Docking with ISS (relocation)[lower-alpha 1]
Docking portHarmony zenith
Docking date5 April 2021, 11:08 UTC
Undocking date2 May 2021, 00:35 UTC [4]
Time docked26 days

SpaceX Crew-1 mission patch [5]

Walker, Glover, Hopkins and Noguchi
 

Crew-1 was the first operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in the Commercial Crew Program. Originally designated "USCV-1" by NASA in 2012, the launch date was delayed several times from the original date of November 2016.[13] The mission was scheduled to depart the ISS on 28 April 2021, but due to weather returned to Earth on 2 May 2021.[14][6][15] The capsule splashed down at 06:56:33 UTC, to be reused on Inspiration4.[16] It was the first nighttime splashdown for NASA astronauts since Apollo 8 in 1968.[17] On 7 February 2021, the Crew-1 broke the record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed vehicle, surpassing the 84-day mark set by an Apollo capsule on the final flight to the Skylab (Skylab-4) space station on 8 February 1974.[18]

Background

The first operational mission in the Commercial Crew Program, originally designated "USCV-1" (United States Crew Vehicle-mission 1) by NASA, was initially announced in November 2012, with a launch date set for November 2016.[13] In April 2013, it was announced that the launch would be delayed by one year to November 2017.[13] It was then delayed into 2019 and 2020, pending the success of the uncrewed and crewed demonstration missions, respectively. Following the Crew Dragon Demonstration Mission 2, Crew-1 was tentatively scheduled for September 2020; further delays occurred to align with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and their impact on the schedule of ISS crew rotations and cargo delivery missions,[16] and then again because of concerns about an issue with the gas generators on the Merlin 1D engines.[19]

On 29 September 2020, mission commander Michael Hopkins revealed during a NASA press conference that the capsule's crew had chosen to name it Resilience.[20] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex only allowed a few people to watch the launch in person from the KSC premises.[21]

Crew

NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins and Victor J. Glover were announced as the crew on 3 August 2018.[22] JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi and the third NASA astronaut, Shannon Walker, were added to the crew on 31 March 2020.[23][24][25]

Prime crew
Position Astronaut
Spacecraft commander United States Michael S. Hopkins, NASA
Expedition 64/65
Second and last spaceflight
Pilot United States Victor J. Glover, NASA
Expedition 64/65
First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 Japan Soichi Noguchi, JAXA
Expedition 64/65
Third and last spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 United States Shannon Walker, NASA
Expedition 64/65
Second spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Astronaut
Spacecraft commander United States Kjell N. Lindgren, NASA
Mission Specialist 1 Japan Koichi Wakata, JAXA

Preparations

Crew-1's Falcon 9 launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 14 July 2020.[26] Crew Dragon capsule C207 arrived at SpaceX processing facilities in Florida, on 18 August 2020.[27][28] The successful launch of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) on 5 November 2020 was a milestone leading up to the Crew-1 mission. Falcon 9 successfully deployed a GPS navigation satellite (GPS III-04) for the United States Space Force (USSF), confirming that engineers had resolved an issue with Merlin 1D engines that delayed the GPS mission and the Crew-1 flight.[29]

The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center via a NASA Gulfstream jet on 8 November 2020 at 13:53 UTC. A Flight Readiness Review (FRR) convened by NASA officials was scheduled on 10 November 2020 to discuss unresolved technical issues, review the status of launch preparations, and give approval for teams to proceed with the Crew-1 mission.[29] NASA officials gave approval on 10 November 2020 for SpaceX to begin regular crew rotation flights to the International Space Station, signaling a transition from development to operations for the human-rated Crew Dragon spacecraft.[30] The launch vehicle was lifted to its vertical position on the pad for a test firing of its Merlin-1D main engines on 11 November 2020 at 20:49 UTC.[31] A dry dress rehearsal (DDR) on 12 November 2020 saw the crew put on their pressure suits and climb into Resilience.[31] SpaceX ran a launch readiness review (LRR) on 13 November 2020.[32]

Mission
A window view of Earth from the Dragon 2 capsule during Expedition 64
The crew inside the capsule during the rendezvous process

On 15 November 2020, final pre-launch preparations were completed. The hatch of Resilience was closed at 22:32 UTC, but reopened briefly after a slight drop in pressure was detected. Troubleshooting the hatch seal led to discovery of a small amount of foreign object debris (FOD) in the seal. The hatch was then closed again, and mission controllers proceeded with the countdown. No further concerns were noted, and on 16 November 2020 at 00:27:17 UTC, Resilience lifted off successfully. Its Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SN B1061.1, landed on the autonomous spaceport drone ship Just Read the Instructions.[9] The astronauts entered a stable orbit after about nine minutes. For this mission, the crew had chosen a plush toy of "The Child" (also known as "Baby Yoda") from The Mandalorian as a Zero-G indicator.[33] The crew were awakened on the second day of the flight with Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight".[34]

Resilience docked to the International Docking Adapter (IDA) on the Harmony module on 17 November 2020 at 04:01 UTC.[2] Over the course of the mission, the four astronauts lived and worked alongside the three astronauts of the Soyuz MS-17 mission. Together, the two missions form ISS Expedition 64. Assuming the regular ISS crew rotation schedule is adhered to, the crew transfer to Expedition 65 following the departure of Soyuz MS-17, on 17 April 2021.

On 5 April 2021, the Crew-1 astronauts relocated their spacecraft from Harmony forward to Harmony zenith by using the Draco thrusters that are mounted on the side of Dragon Resilience's trunk, to make way for the arrival and docking of the SpaceX Crew-2 spacecraft, launched on 23 April 2021.[35]

In July 2022, it was reported that some of the debris from Crew 1 Dragon crashed into a farm in Australia.[36][37]

SpaceX Crew-1 Promotional poster

Timeline
MET Time Date
(UTC)		 Event [38]
EST UTC
−7:40:00 11:47:15 AM 16:47:15 15 November
2020		 Crew wake
−05:30:00 1:57:15 PM 18:57:15 CE (signification?) launch readiness briefing
−05:00:00 2:27:15 PM 19:27:15 Launch shift on console
−04:59:59 2:27:16 PM 19:27:16 Dragon IMU align and configure for launch.
−04:30:00 2:57:15 PM 19:57:15 Dragon propellant pressurization
−04:15:00 3:12:15 PM 20:12:15 Crew weather brief
−04:05:00 3:22:15 PM 20:22:15 Crew handoff
−04:00:00 3:27:15 PM 20:27:15 Suit donning and checkouts
−03:22:00 4:05:15 PM 21:05:15 Crew walk out of Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
−03:15:00 4:12:15 PM 21:12:15 Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A)
−02:55:00 4:32:15 PM 21:32:15 Crew arrives at pad.
−02:35:00 4:52:15 PM 21:52:15 Crew ingress
−02:20:00 5:07:15 PM 22:07:15 Communication check
−02:15:00 5:12:15 PM 22:12:15 Verify ready seat rotation
−02:14:00 5:13:15 PM 22:13:15 Suit leak checks
−01:55:00 5:32:15 PM 22:32:15 Hatch close
−01:10:00 6:17:15 PM 23:17:15 ISS state upload to Dragon
−00:45:00 6:42:15 PM 23:42:15 SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load
−00:42:00 6:45:15 PM 23:45:15 Crew access arm retracts
−00:37:00 6:49:15 PM 23:49:15 Dragon launch escape system is armed.
−00:35:00 6:52:15 PM 23:52:15 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins; 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins.
−00:16:00 7:11:15 PM 00:11:15 16 November
2020		 2nd stage LOX loading begins.
−00:07:00 7:20:15 PM 00:20:15 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.
−00:05:00 7:22:15 PM 00:22:15 Dragon transitions to internal power
−00:01:00 7:26:15 PM 00:26:15 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
−00:00:45 7:26:30 PM 00:26:30 SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch.
−00:00:03 7:27:12 PM 00:27:12 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.
+00:00:00 7:27:17 PM 00:27:17 Liftoff
+00:00:58 7:28:15 PM 00:28:15 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
+00:02:37 7:29:54 PM 00:29:54 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
+00:02:40 7:29:57 PM 00:29:57 1st and 2nd stages separate
+00:02:48 7:30:05 PM 00:30:05 2nd stage engine starts
+00:07:29 7:34:46 PM 00:34:46 1st stage entry burn
+00:08:50 7:36:07 PM 00:36:07 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
+00:08:59 7:36:16 PM 00:36:16 1st stage landing burn
+00:09:29 7:36:46 PM 00:36:46 1st stage landing
+00:12:03 7:39:20 PM 00:39:20 Crew Dragon separates from 2nd stage
+00:12:48 7:40:05 PM 00:40:05 Dragon nosecone open sequence begins
+1/ 9:22 PM 02:22 17 November
2020		 Dragon starts the final phase of the approach to the ISS.[39]
+1/03:33 11:01 PM 04:01 Soft Capture to the ISS.[40]
+1/03:33 11:01 PM 04:01 Dragon docked to the ISS.[41]
+1/05:34 1:02 AM 6:02 Hatch opened.[42]
+167 8:35 PM 01:35 1 May
2021		 Undocked from the ISS.[43]
+167 2:56 AM 7:56 2 May
2021		 Splashed down and recovery in the Gulf of Mexico.[43]
SpaceX Crew-1
  • Resilience mated to Falcon 9 for Crew-1
    Resilience mated to Falcon 9 for Crew-1
  • Crew-1 walkout
    Crew-1 walkout
  • Launch of Crew-1
    Launch of Crew-1
  • Resilience docked to the ISS
    Resilience docked to the ISS
  • Recovery of Crew-1
    Recovery of Crew-1

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to SpaceX Crew-1.

Notes
  1. From an orbital dynamics perspective, the forward port is easier to approach, and therefore new vehicles use this approach for their first live docking. The Crew Dragon Endeavor made its second docking on Crew-2 on 2 May 2021; therefore, Crew-1 relocated to the zenith port to clear the forward port for Crew-2.[3]
  2. The Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission was the first crewed flight, but was considered as a test flight, not an operational flight
  3. 15 November 2020 19:27:17 Eastern Standard Time (EST), 16 November 2020 00:27:17 UTC

References
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  3. Potter, Sean (29 March 2021). "NASA TV to Air U.S. Commercial Crew Port Relocation on Space Station" (Press release). NASA. Retrieved 30 March 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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